Explore the historic I&M Canal with app-powered self-guided tour

The I&M Canal, once a floating highway that linked the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River, now offers travelers the chance to explore a perfect blend of history, nature and adventure. This scenic route winds through charming waterfront communities – from Starved Rock Country to Chicago’s Portage – where you’ll experience a mix of local history, excellent dining, and boutique shopping.

Heritage Corridor’s self-guided Cruisin’ The Canal tour directs you to 181 attractions along this legendary waterway. Download the Heritage Corridor app (available via the Apple App Store or Google Play), head to the Passports menu and select Cruisin’ The Canal. This convenient app can direct you to nearby attractions, explore curated themed trips or plan your own itinerary along the I&M Canal.

You’ll find locations from the beaches of Lake Michigan in Chicago all the way to the I&M’s confluence point with the Illinois River in LaSalle. Along the way, you’ll find a wide variety of historic, natural and cultural destinations, recreational spots, boutique shopping and unique food and drink opportunities. Completing the whole itinerary takes you through 60 quaint and distinct communities along the canal, and the app allows you to check off visited locations and add on additional stops if you’re looking for some slight detours on your trip from Starved Rock Country to Chicago. Join us as we take a look at some of the app’s featured attractions.

I&M Canal Boat Tours

754 1st St., La Salle

Come journey back in time aboard the “Volunteer,” a 70-passenger, mule-pulled 1840s replica canal boat as it coasts gently up and down the I&M Canal.

Ottawa Toll House

1221 Columbus St., Ottawa

The Ottawa Toll House was one of a handful of toll houses along the canal. In order to collect the tolls from passing barges, the caretaker had to swivel a turning bridge for the barge to continue.

M.J. Hogan Grain Elevator

124 William St., Seneca

Explore the earliest remaining grain elevator built along the Illinois & Michigan Canal.

Canalport Park

211 W. Illinois Ave., Morris

Canalport Park offers a walking path, canal boat display, bike rentals, sculptures, pollinator garden and an area for fishing.

Dollinger Family Farm

7502 E. Hansel Road, Channahon

This family-friendly fun destination once served as a place to rest the mules pulling barges down the I&M Canal.

Ironworks Historic Site

Route 53 and North Scott Street, Joliet

Joliet Iron Works Historic Site features 0.59 mile of paved trail that provides a self-guided interpretive tour of the site’s historical and industrial significance.

Illinois State Museum

201 W. 10th St., Lockport

The Illinois State Museum Lockport Gallery offers a quiet retreat just off the I&M Trail to contemplate critically noted exhibitions highlighting the art and visual culture of Illinois.

Isle a la Cache Museum

501 E. Romeo Road, Romeoville

The Isle a la Cache Museum offers an adventure in 18th century history, when Illinois Country was home to French voyageurs and native Potawatomi.

John Husar Trail

8700 S. Willow Springs Road, Palos Hills

The John Husar I&M Canal Trail is the northernmost trail developed on the Illinois & Michigan Canal National Heritage Corridor.

Chicago Portage

4800 S. Harlem Ave., Forest View

The Chicago Portage National Historic Site commemorates the place where the Kaskaskia, a tribe of the Illiniwek, showed 17th century French explorers Louis Jolliet and Father Jacques Marquette an ancient portage connecting the Great Lakes Basin and the Mississippi Valley watersheds, which overtime became the birthplace of Chicago.

Canal Origins Park

2701 S. Ashland Ave., Chicago

Canal Origins Park commemorates the creation of the Illinois & Michigan Canal as it connected the Great Lakes with the Mississippi River drainage basin.

To start planning your own trip download the Heritage Corridor app (available via the Apple App Store or Google Play), head to the Passports menu and select Cruisin’ The Canal.