Boating
Fee or Permit Required
Rentals
Check out preserves from the water by renting canoes, kayaks, or rowboats at Blackwell and Herrick Lake. (You can rent paddleboats at Blackwell, too!) You need a valid government-issued ID and cash or credit card.
Blackwell
Weekends May 6 – Sept. 30
Weekdays Memorial Day – Labor Day
11 a.m. – 6 p.m. (Rentals end one hour before closing.)
Herrick Lake
Weekends Memorial Day – Labor Day
Plus Memorial Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day
11 a.m. – 6 p.m. (Rentals end one hour before closing.)
For weekday rentals, book a private Have It at Herrick outing.
Rowboats Seat Up to Four
Canoes Seat Up to Three
Blackwell Only
- For every three watercraft there must be at least one person on the water who’s 18 or older.
- Children 9 and under must be in a boat with someone who’s 18 or older.
- Children 10 – 17 must be near a boat on the water that has someone who’s 18 or older.
- All boats must stay within eyesight of someone who’s 18 or older who’s also on the water.
Bring Your Own
Bring your canoe, kayak, or other qualifying nongasoline-powered watercraft to enjoy Silver Lake at Blackwell, Round Meadow Lake at Hidden Lake, Mallard Lake at Mallard Lake, or Deep Quarry Lake at West Branch. (You can stand-up paddleboard on Silver Lake at Blackwell and Deep Quarry Lake at West Branch as well.)
You need an annual (valid January – December only) or daily permit but can buy one online 24/7. (Scroll down for your purchase options.) You can also get permits through Visitor Services at 630-933-7248 or at our headquarters office at 3S580 Naperville Road in Wheaton Monday – Friday 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. To apply by mail or fax, download our application (PDF).
People 65 or older, active U.S. military personnel, and honorably discharged U.S. veterans are eligible for one free annual permit per household per calendar year. If this is the first time you’re requesting a free permit, you need to provide proof of your age (driver's license or birth certificate) or military-service status (active status or a DD-214 Member 4 form).
Permits
Annual Permit First Watercraft
DuPage Resident $30/year
Nonresident $50/year
Annual Permit Second Watercraft
DuPage Resident $15/year
Nonresident $35/year
Annual Permit Third Watercraft
DuPage Resident $15/year
Nonresident $35/year
Annual Permit Fourth Watercraft
DuPage Resident $15/year
Nonresident $35/year
Daily Permit
DuPage Resident $5/day
Nonresident $10/day
Rules & Regulations
For everyone’s safety and enjoyment, you must follow these rules and regulations, which the Forest Preserve District may change at any time.
Kayaks, Canoes, Rowboats, Motorboats, and Similar Watercraft
- Only boat on the four designated DuPage forest preserve lakes: Silver Lake at Blackwell, Round Meadow Lake at Hidden Lake, Mallard Lake at Mallard Lake and Deep Quarry Lake at West Branch. Silver Lake has a boat launch, which is open March 1 – Nov. 30. The other three lakes are carry-in only. At these three, you must manually move your watercraft from the parking lot to the water. If you’re using a trailer, you must unhitch it and park it in its own individual parking space.
- Affix your annual permit to the bow of your craft above the waterline, or carry the receipt for your daily permit when you’re on the water. Present it to a Forest Preserve District agent for inspection if requested.
- If your boat has a hull identification number (HIN), you must provide it. (Watercraft built after 1972 have manufacturer-assigned HINs.)
- Do not use watercraft over 20 feet long, float tubes, or floating devices without foot wells or railings.
- You cannot use gas motors but can use electric ones. If your craft has any kind of motor, it must have the proper state registration.
- If you have an inflatable watercraft, it must have multiple air chambers and either 1) certification by the National Marine Manufacturers Association or the Coast Guard through the manufacturer or 2) a factory-made hardened floor.
- Per federal and state regulations, your watercraft must have one properly fitting, wearable, Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device for each person on board. If it’s 16 feet or longer it must also have a Coast Guard-approved throwable flotation device. Boaters under 13 years old must wear their personal flotation devices at all times, and per Forest Preserve District regulations all boaters regardless of age must wear their personal flotation devices in canoes, kayaks, sailboats and inflatable watercraft.
- You cannot carry passengers and cargo with a total combined weight greater than your watercraft’s posted safe-carrying capacity. The manufacturer’s capacity plate must be permanently affixed to your watercraft.
- You must be off the water by sunset, and per Illinois law, you must remove all aquatic plants and animals from all equipment before you leave the shore.
- Do not swim or enter the water from your watercraft.
Stand-Up Paddleboards
- You can only paddleboard on Silver Lake at Blackwell and Deep Quarry Lake at West Branch.
- Only stand-up paddleboarding is allowed, and only one person can be on a paddleboard at a time. You cannot paddleboard with pets.
- Paddleboards cannot be over 20 feet long.
- When you’re on the water, wear or carry your annual permit or a receipt for a daily permit, and make sure it’s visible. Present it to a Forest Preserve District agent for inspection if requested.
- Regardless of your age, you must wear a properly fitting, wearable, Coast Guard-approved personal flotation device. If you fall in the water, immediately get back on your paddleboard; do not swim to shore.
- You must be off the water by sunset, and per Illinois law, you must remove all aquatic plants and animals from all equipment before you leave the shore.
As a permit holder you agree to abide by these rules and regulations as well as all Forest Preserve District ordinances and administrative orders and state statutes. You also understand that the Forest Preserve District may fine you or revoke your permit without refunding your permit fee if you supply false information on your application or fail to comply with any rules, regulations, ordinances, orders, or statutes.
Boating on Rivers
If you're boating on either branch of the DuPage River or on Salt Creek, you don't need a Forest Preserve District permit but you do need to follow all state regulations.
You can enter at any practical forest preserve location except at The Preserve at Oak Meadows, but there's easy access to the West Branch DuPage River at Blackwell, Warrenville Grove and McDowell Grove and to Salt Creek at Salt Creek Park, Cricket Creek, Salt Creek Greenway at Hunter Road (take-out only) and Fullersburg Woods near the Graue Mill parking lot.
A Note About Invasive Species
When you move watercraft from lake to lake, you can carry invasive species such as zebra mussels and Eurasian water milfoil with you. (Some are so small you can't see them with the naked eye!) When these species take over new waters, they can harm the entire ecosystem. Please do your part wherever you boat.
- Remove all plants, animals, and mud from boats, equipment, and trailers.
- Drain all water from your boat and gear, and dry everything thoroughly with a towel.
- Empty all bait buckets in garbage cans or dumpsters before leaving the lake.