The Chicago River Rowing & Paddling Center (CRRPC) is the premier facility for
rowing, canoeing and kayaking on the Chicago River, as well as the only truly “green”
point of access to the River, located within easy walking and bike-riding distance of
ten of thousands of downtown residents and workers.
Rowing and Paddling on the Chicago River
For the purely recreational boater, the river provides an absolutely captivating tour of the city and its architectural vistas, including a breathtaking array of world famous bridges, from the highly personalized perspective of a small self-propelled boat on the water. As a training course for competitive rowing, the endless flat miles of the river are not only unsurpassed in the Chicago area, but also among the best in the nation.
Mission
Mission
CRRPC’s mission is to develop a full-scale, first-class community boating center on the Main Branch of the Chicago River dedicated to public programming through managed access that opens enjoyment of the river in human-powered craft to Chicagoans across a broad range of ages, economic status, and interest.
History
History
Founded in 1979, CRRPC is the oldest rowing and paddling organization on the Chicago River, and the first to establish a community boating center and direct access to the river for human-powered craft. CRRPC’s motto, “Proving the River” harkens back to a time as little as thirty years ago when CRRPC pioneered recreational use of the river in an environment where the river was still considered both visually and physically undesirable. Now it is an integral part of the culture on the revitalized Chicago River.
For its first twenty-five years, CRRPC operated out of the Old Coast Guard Station located at the Chicago Lock where the Chicago River connects to Lake Michigan. When that building was renovated into the Chicago Marine Safety Station to provide a base of operations for marine law enforcement following the events of 9/11, CRRPC moved to a nearby location adjacent to the Lake Shore Drive bridge tower.
Other “firsts” for CRRPC include being a charter member of the Friends of the Chicago River, showcasing the River’s fascinating segments with its unique Iron Oars Marathon, and hosting the 1980 Women’s Olympic Rowing Team, the Oxford & Cambridge University crews, and the 2005 Men’s National Rowing Team in regattas it has organized on the Main Branch of the Chicago River throughout its history.
Our Location (Finding Us) While we work to fund and build a new state-of-the-art boating center, we are currently located on the south bank of the Chicago River on the riverwalk level at Lake Shore Drive. Parking is available in the DuSable Harbor lot with its entrance at Randolph, below Lake Shore Drive. more