Kayak Love

Illinois · river

Blackberry Creek near Yorkville

Live conditions for this USGS-monitored stretch of water, updated every 15 minutes.

75of 100

Good

Paddle Score, from live wind and water conditions

Photograph taken near Blackberry Creek near Yorkville
Nearby on Wikimedia Commons — Landing Gear Ready (50335323687).jpg by Joseph Gage from Yorkville, IL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0. Taken within 10km of this location — it may not show the launch itself.

Wind

12 mph

gusting to 23 mph

Air temp

68°F

49% chance of rain

River flow

129 cfs

very high for this date

Best day to paddle this week

Tuesday · 100

  • Today

    36

  • Sun

    56

  • Mon

    93

  • Tue

    100

    Best

  • Wed

    97

  • Thu

    90

  • Fri

    92

Scored from each day's peak forecast wind, heat, and rain chance — river flow isn't forecastable, so check back before you load the boat.

Wind, next 12 hours

mph
Hourly wind forecast
HourWind (mph)Gusts (mph)
11a1224
12p1019
1p817
2p715
3p1126
4p1223
5p926
6p1227
7p1430
8p1229
9p1228
10p1227

Is this flow normal for August 1?

Today's 129 cfs is 545% above the median for this date — which counts as very high water here.

The median flow on this date is 20 cfs, across 64 years of USGS record at this gauge. Whether that is runnable depends on the stretch — this is context, not a recommendation.

Why this score

  • Wind12 mph — hard work, whitecaps likely-17
  • GustsGusting to 23 mph — 10 mph over sustained±0
  • Rain49% chance in the next 6 hours-8

We don't have launch notes for this one

This page is built from the USGS gauge at this location, so the flow and weather are real — but we haven't verified where to put in, what the hazards are, or whether this stretch is legal or sensible to paddle. We'd rather say that than invent it. The links below are where to find out.

We also don't have a verified safe-flow range here, so the Paddle Score reflects weather only. Judge the flow number against local knowledge, not against our score.

Do your own homework

We show you live conditions. For local knowledge — where to put in, what the hazards are, whether it's worth the drive — here's where paddlers actually talk about this water. We don't vet these sources; check the dates and judge for yourself.

Nearby water

All paddling spots in Illinois