Illinois Parks
Contact: ILMI_Administration@nps.gov
Phone: Headquarters 815/588-6040
The Illinois & Michigan Canal, completed in 1848, connected the Great Lakes to the Mississippi River watershed along a longstanding Indian portage route. The 97-mile canal extended from the Chicago River near Lake Michigan to the Illinois River at Peru, Illinois. It rapidly transformed Chicago from a small settlement to a critical transportation hub between the East and the developing Midwest. The towpath trail along the canal is a State park that runs through a rural and wooded landscape linking a number of towns laid out by the original canal commission.
Directions
Plane - Both of Chicago's major airports (O'Hare and Midway) are served by numerous airlines.
Car - Five interstates (39, 55, 80, 355, and 294) run through or bisect the Corridor.
Public Transportation - Pace Suburban Bus Service (847) 364-7223 operates between Midway Airport and Joliet, and the Chicago metropolitan region. METRA (Metropolitan Rail) (312) 322-6777 operates two lines between Chicago and Joliet: the Heritage Corridor and the Rock Island. Amtrak (1-800-USA-RAIL) has stops in Chicago (Union Station), Summit and Joliet.
More info at http://www.nps.gov/ilmi
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