Covel Creek
E1800 (E.18th Rd.) to Hwy.71 (6.5 miles)
| Difficulty | II(III) |
| Length | 6.5 mi |
| Avg Gradient | n/a |
| Gauge | Mazon River Near Coal City, Il |
| Flow Rate as of 1 hour | 187 cfsbelow recommended |
| Reach Info Last Updated | February 6, 2025 |
River Description
Do not park or put-in on upstream side of E1800 (18th Road) bridge, and do not paddle upstream of bridge, at request of property owner.
Alternate put-in is near Pine Hills Golf Course near Stoneyville. (Beware golfers with a mean slice on 4th hole!)
This can be a lot of eddy hopping and surfing fun if you catch it when other rivers in the area are starting to come up (Vermilion) or are running good (Little Vermilion). Due to the small watershed it's normally the first river in the area to lose boatability after a big rain. It normally takes a good rain (2 inches or so in one day) to get it up to the 'higher' levels which can be a BLAST! When there is sufficient water, this makes a fast fun warm-up or 'chaser' for a run on the Vermilion. Much swiftwater, riffles and rips, and a few good playable rapids.
A user warns (Aug 24, 2018):
At the second busted low head dam once you get to the golf course, [at] the island ... don’t go right unless you have a chain saw and a crew of guys to clear out the mess!
Our reference gauge for this run is the Mazon River (another tributary of the Illinois River, more-or-less parallel to Covel and about 30 miles to the East). At its gauge, the Mazon has drainage area of 455 sq.mi. vs 63 sq.mi. at the put in for Covel. Thus, flow here may be just over 1/8th (0.138*) the flow on the Mazon gauge. For what it's worth, using the full history of this gauge, flow only exceeds 914 cfs 10% of the time (I.E., roughly 36 days a year). With our presently listed guess on the minimal baseline for runnability here (1600 cfs at Mazon, likely corresponding to roughly 200 cfs on Covel), figure that means likely fewer than 18 days a year (on average) for Covel to be runnable. (Small drainage flashy creeks such as these likely have runnable periods measured in hours, rather than days.)
River Features
Put In
Shooting Range
Roughly a 1/4 mile from the put in, this is the first constriction and gradient you'll come to. A few small pyramid waves at low flows and bigger waves at high flows, it has an eddy right behind a rock on the left side that can be used to try some ender moves, or at higher levels this rock can be boofed, but that's the extent of the excitement in this area.
It gets this name from the metal targets setup in the back yard on river right, just after you reach this small class 2- rapid. Knowing that the shooting targets are there and the river left bank/ledge is the backstop for errant shots, you may want to use caution if you hear gunshots (or what sounds like fireworks) before you get there. If you should hear shooting sounds, definitely use your whistle or make yourself seen! The last thing we want is a shooting accident on the river! (That said, I've never seen or heard any shooting on my probably triple digit worth of trips down this river.)
After the Shooting Range, the river is mostly boulder bed with a few constrictions that may be surfed but will probably just be floated through, until you get to the Oyster Wave, one of the best surf spots on the river!
The Oyster Wave
Shortly after the shooting range, water picks up speed, with a few boulder bed rapids to boof or avoid. You'll start to see branches hanging low (almost into the water) on river left.
The river splits to the right (maybe 1/5 of the flow going to the right) just before a rock outcropping on the right. This constricts the flow and has about 10' of gradient over 30', creating the first wave/hole (depending on the level) where you should see a smiley face shaped foam pile (from surfers view) and possibly 6-9 pyramid waves after the foam pile (depending on flows). It's surfable at many flows, but a medium flow seems to be best for this wave.
You can catch the Oyster Wave on the fly if you paddle hard upstream and catch the tallest section of the foam pile. Eddy service from both sides allow you to re-attain the surf as many times as you want, making this a popular location when the creek is running! A great wide trough allows you to work back and forth, spin, loop (only seen the loop done here once!) and get really good play if you watch out for 'the Brown Pearl'!
The Brown Pearl is a section of the Oyster Wave about 3/4 to the rock outcropping on surfers left. You'll notice the river wants to pearl over and push your bow down. Knowing it's there and working with it, your fine, but if you aren't paying attention it will end your surf session and give the next boater in line their turn at the wave!
If you do get pushed out, you can surf the first few pyramid waves (at the right levels), but they aren't near as fun. You're better off getting back in line for your next go at the Oyster. Both eddy's are very long, so unless you come out of your boat, you should be able to get back to one or the other. The easiest side to drop into the wave is river left, as it's a straight forward few paddle strokes to drop into the wave in control and surf until your content. Tree roots sticking out and rocks to hold onto help you keep your place in line.
The river right eddy can also get you into the wave, but you will have to paddle hard and not get pushed out by the Pearl in the wave (which would be about 1/4 of the way in when you drop in from river right), and which will be between the drop in and the best surf section of the wave (the river left side of the wave to the Brown Pearl).
Take Out
Trip Reports
Log in to add a reportAbout 1/4 mile into the run after 2 smaller drops, will be a drop with wave train after it. The first wave is the one we call the Oyster wave. It provides good surf but watch out for the big “pearl” in the middle. If you can keep your bow up in the “Pearl” spot in the middle you will be able to surf all day. But eventually the pearl will push your bow down and force you out of the wave. At medium flows it’s the best surf on the run.