Illinois, West Fork
Whiskey Ck to Lone Mountain Road
| Difficulty | III-IV |
| Length | 2.5 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Reach Info Last Updated | February 7, 2025 |
River Description
A fast-paced run with easy access near O'Brien that runs after heavy rain.
After 650' on Whiskey Creek, the confluence with W.Fk.Illinois is reached and the best part of the run begins. This is fast-paced read and run class III/IV (depending on flow) with plenty of boofs to seek out. Most of the good stuff can be seen from the shuttle road. Part way through the run things ease off a bit.
Near the end are some unusual hazards in the form of wires across the river. Local boaters and property owners have been in contact, so the owners of the wires are aware that when the wires fall into the river they become a hazard for boaters. In recent years they have been doing a good job of stringing them up high where high flows can't knock them down. That said, after crossing under a footbridge, keep a sharp eye out for any wires that may have fallen and created a hazard.
Just below the wires is a brushy area (left is usually better, but watch for wood), then the river opens up and the take out is on the left where the shuttle vehicles should be easily visible.
Boaters looking for more action can hike an old mining road upstream from the put in to start with even faster-paced class IV action on Whiskey Creek.
River Features
Put In
Put in is at the bridge over Whiskey Creek.
Take Out
The take out is where the road gets very close to the creek about 3 miles after turning off highway 199.
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportPriscilla and I were driving through the area on 2024-12-26 after a multiday storm the week before, and overnight rain hours before we were in the area. We made the short detour off highway 199 to run the creek. There was one troublesome log in the top half of the run that was not visible from the shuttle road, but was visible from upstream from on the water. I was able to monkey boat over some rocks on the left, but the portage also would have been quick and easy. The wires near the end of the run were out of play. Just downstream of the wires the river flows through a brushy area, the left channel is better, but required boofing over a log. The rest of the run was fast paced and fun. The Illinois was around 6,000 cfs, this was a worthwhile flow, and felt like the low side of medium.