Illinois Michigan Canal Trail - Lasalle to Rockdale Walk or Cycle
The Illinois & Michigan Canal State Trail follows the historic towpath from LaSalle’s Lock 16 Visitor Center north-northeast to Rockdale, covering 61.5 miles of crushed-limestone surface that remains flat and firm throughout. The path begins at LaSalle, where you can board The Volunteer canal boat or visit interpretive exhibits about the canal’s 1848 origins. From there the trail hugs the abandoned canal prism, running past broad wetlands, wooded riverbanks and open prairie sections where herons and bald eagles are often seen.
Leaving LaSalle you cross the restored Lock 16 aqueduct over the Illinois River and then pass through the town of Oglesby before winding past Buffalo Rock State Park’s earthwork sculptures and downriver bluffs. As you continue you enter the village of Utica and later Ottawa, where the canal met the Fox River and you’ll find a scenic bluff view at Buffalo Rock. Beyond Ottawa the trail traverses Aux Sable State Park and the village of Morris, with its historic downtown and Utica aqueduct ruins.
South of Morris the corridor runs alongside Interstate 80, linking restored canal locks in Channahon State Park and aqueducts at Gebhard Woods. The final stretch leads through Will County’s parklands, past the old Joliet Iron Works in Rockdale. Here the trail terminates at Brandon Locks, where parking and picnic facilities mark the end of this easy, fully accessible canal-side route. Throughout, mile markers and interpretive panels guide walkers and cyclists through 19th-century canal history and rich Midwest scenery
Illinois Michigan Canal Trail - Lasalle to Rockdale Open Street Map 
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Illinois Michigan Canal Trail - Lasalle to Rockdale Open Street Map 
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Photos
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M Canal Lock, Marseilles, Illinois
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Morris Wide Water Canal Boat Site