Paddling near Champaign, IL

Central Illinois paddlers based in Champaign can reach three distinct kinds of water on the same day: flatwater reservoirs, slow prairie rivers, and the only National Wild and Scenic River in the state. The closest reach is the Sangamon River at Mahomet, just 10–15 miles off, with forest-preserve access at Lake of the Woods and River Bend. The marquee destination, the Middle Fork of the Vermilion River, lies roughly 35 miles east near Danville and Oakwood.