The Illinois River is a tributary, about 56 miles (90.1 km) long, of the Rogue River

Rogue River (Oregon)

The Rogue River in southwestern Oregon in the United States flows about in a generally westward direction from the Cascade Range to the Pacific Ocean. Known for its salmon runs, whitewater rafting, and rugged scenery, it was one of the original eight rivers named in the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act...

 in the U.S. state

U.S. state

A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...

 of Oregon

Oregon

Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...

. It drains part of the Klamath Mountains

Klamath Mountains

The Klamath Mountains, which include the Siskiyou, Marble, Scott, Trinity, Trinity Alps, Salmon, and northern Yolla-Bolly Mountains, are a rugged lightly populated mountain range in northwest California and southwest Oregon in the United States...

 in northern California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 and southwestern Oregon. The river's main stem

Main Stem

"Main Stem" is 1942 instrumental by Duke Ellington and His Famous Orchestra. Although recorded in 1942, the single would not be released until 1944 where it was Duke Ellington's last of four number one's on the Harlem Hit Parade. "Main Stem" would also peak at number twenty on the pop chart"Main...

 begins at the confluence of its east and west forks near Cave Junction

Cave Junction, Oregon

Cave Junction, incorporated in 1948, is a city in Josephine County, Oregon, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 1,883. Its motto is the "Gateway to the Oregon Caves," and the city got its name by virtue of its location at the junction of Redwood Highway and Caves Highway...

 in southern Josephine County

Josephine County, Oregon

Josephine County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. According to Oregon Geographic Names, the county is probably named after a stream in the area called Josephine Creek, which in turn is probably named after Virginia Josephine Rollins Ort. In 2010, its population was 82,713...

. Its drainage basin

Drainage basin

A drainage basin is an extent or an area of land where surface water from rain and melting snow or ice converges to a single point, usually the exit of the basin, where the waters join another waterbody, such as a river, lake, reservoir, estuary, wetland, sea, or ocean...

 includes Sucker Creek, which rises in the Red Buttes Wilderness

Red Buttes Wilderness

The Red Buttes Wilderness is a wilderness area in Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest in the U.S. states of Oregon and California. It comprises , approximately of which is located in California, and in Oregon...

, near Whiskey Peak on the California

California

California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...

 state line. The main stem flows generally northwest in a winding course past Kerby

Kerby, Oregon

Kerby is an unincorporated community in Josephine County, Oregon, United States, north of Cave Junction on U.S. Route 199, Zip code 97531. Although the current population of...

 and through the Siskiyou National Forest and Kalmiopsis Wilderness

Kalmiopsis Wilderness

Kalmiopsis Wilderness is a wilderness area in the Klamath Mountains of southwestern Oregon, within the Rogue River-Siskiyou National Forest. It was designated wilderness by the United States Congress in 1964 and now comprises a total of...

. It joins the Rogue River from the south at Agness

Agness, Oregon

Agness is an unincorporated community in Curry County, Oregon, United States. It is located near the confluence of two Wild and Scenic rivers—the Lower Rogue and the Illinois. Agness post office was established October 16, 1897. It was named after Agnes, the daughter of the first postmaster, and...

 on the Curry

Curry County, Oregon

Curry County is a county located in the U.S. state of Oregon. In 2010, its population was 22,364. The county is named for George Law Curry, a governor of the Oregon Territory. The seat of the county is Gold Beach.-Economy:...

–Josephine county line, 27 miles (43.5 km) from the Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...

.

The river's lower 50.4 miles (81.1 km), from where it enters the Rogue River – Siskiyou National Forest downstream from Kerby

Kerby, Oregon

Kerby is an unincorporated community in Josephine County, Oregon, United States, north of Cave Junction on U.S. Route 199, Zip code 97531. Although the current population of...

 to its confluence with the Rogue River, were designated Wild and Scenic

National Wild and Scenic River

National Wild and Scenic River is a designation for certain protected areas in the United States.The National Wild and Scenic Rivers Act was an outgrowth of the recommendations of a Presidential commission, the Outdoor Recreation Resources Review Commission...

 in 1984. Of this, 28.7 miles (46.2 km) is protected as wild, 17.9 miles (28.8 km) as scenic, and 3.8 miles (6.1 km) as recreational.

Tributaries

Sucker Creek is named after the state of Illinois, one of whose nicknames is the Sucker State. Miners from Illinois named the creek. In 2011, the U.S. Forest Service worked on a project to improve the creek. The project is a fishery rehabilitation project.

Rafting and kayaking

The Illinois River is "a wilderness river that tests both the skill and strength of boaters". For the 31 miles (49.9 km) run along the Wild and Scenic part of the river between upper Oak Flat near Kerby and lower Oak Flat, boaters are far from trails and roads. Depending on the water flow, this stretch of the river has eight class 4 to 4+

International Scale of River Difficulty

The International Scale of River Difficulty is a standardized scale used to rate the safety of a stretch of river, or a single rapid. The grade reflects the technical difficulty and skill level required associated with the section of river...

 rapids. Green Wall, a class 5, "is considerably more difficult and longer than the others" and below it lie 3 miles (4.8 km) of difficult rapids. The river is generally run by raft

Rafting

Rafting or white water rafting is a challenging recreational outdoor activity using an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on white water or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this...

 or kayak

Kayak

A kayak is a small, relatively narrow, human-powered boat primarily designed to be manually propelled by means of a double blade paddle.The traditional kayak has a covered deck and one or more cockpits, each seating one paddler...

during the rainy season, October through April. At flows below 800 cuft/s, boating is difficult because of exposed rocks, and flows above 3000 cuft/s "turn the river into boiling holes and rapids." A heavy rain can turn an ordinary trip into a high-water nightmare.

Works cited

• Giordano, Pete (2004). Soggy Sneakers: A Paddler's Guide to Oregon's Rivers, fourth edition. Seattle: The Mountaineers Books. ISBN 978-0-89886-815-9.

External links

• Oregon Rafting
• The coordinates for the Illinois River source are 42.1598354°N 123.6592351°W, and for the mouth they are 42.5501086°N 124.0661995°W.