Channahon State Park is the official trailhead for the Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail. Channahon is an Indian word meaning "the meeting of the waters" and signifies the joining of the DuPage, Des Plaines and Kankakee Rivers.

The Channahon Access first became a state park in 1932, known as the Channahon State Parkway. The canal officially closed in 1933 with the opening of the Illinois Waterway. The canal and its environs had been extremely neglected and were in desperate need of clean up and repairs. The Civilian Conservation Corps who were employed by the Department of the Interior were assigned clean-up and repair duty all along the canal. The C.C.C. restored Locks 6 & 7 in Channahon along with the locktender's house at Lock #6. In the park, they built a large shelter of handhewn beams and flagstone flooring that still stands as a testimony of the young men who constructed it.

An Interpreter is on site four days a week to provide information and answer questions. Public programs and tours are available as well as organized group and school group programs. For more information about Interpretive programs contact the Interpretive office at (815)467-4271.

locktenders houseToday, the Channahon State Park which is under the management of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources provides park visitors a look back at a historic waterway that transformed a State. Locks 6 & 7 and the original locktenders house at Lock 6 located at the Channahon State Park enable visitors to daydream of a time when one of the loudest noises heard came from a blacksmith pounding out a new set of horse shoes.

Directions

From I-55: take the Rte. #6 Channahon exit. Turn west on Rte. #6 and continue into Channahon to Canal St. Take a left on Canal and proceed to Story St. Turn right on Story into the park. If the parking area is full, continue on Canal St. one more block to the Jessup St. parking area.

Channahon
P.O. Box 54
Channahon, IL 60410
815.467.4271