I had the opportunity to paddle the North Fork of the Salt Creek near Clinton, Illinois.
The put-in point is off Parnell Road, at the north side of the lake. There is a reasonable parking area and a gravel boat ramp.
I set off late morning under cloudy skies and a light wind. I had never been on the water here so wanted to head upstream first to see where it went. There were a few people fishing from the bank here, so I was cautious not to go over their lines or catch on a bobber. They all nodded approvingly as I made my way past.
There was a decent wind coming out of the south-west which helped going upstream. There is not a strong current here so heading upstream was not difficult. It’s a really nice, leisurely paddle, no log jams for quite a ways.
I passed by the flow gauge near the bridge on Toad Hill Road, there appears to be no river access from this bridge, and the banks are a bit steep.
Here’s a link to the USGS flow gauge: https://waterdata.usgs.gov/monitoring-location/05578250/#parameterCode=00065&period=P7D
