Boat rental areas open in DuPage

The DuPage County Forest Preserve District's two boat-rental areas, on Herrick Lake at Herrick Lake Forest Preserve in Wheaton and Silver Lake at Blackwell Forest Preserve near Warrenville, are open for the season offering canoes, kayaks and rowboats.

Hours at the rental areas are 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through May. From Memorial Day through Labor Day, both locations will be open 11 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekdays and 9 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. weekends. In September, the facilities will operate weekends only from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

Canoes, kayaks and rowboats are $10 per hour and $50 per day. Rowboats with trolling motors are available at Blackwell for $15 per hour and $75 per day. Bait is $2.50 for a dozen night crawlers or three dozen wax worms.

Visitors also can use Silver Lake's drive-up launch for their own nongasoline-powered watercraft including boats, canoes, kayaks and multichambered inflatables with factory-installed hardened floors and transoms up to 20 feet. Forest district private boating permits are required and are available at the rental facility during normal operating hours, any time from steel locked boxes at the lake and weekdays from district headquarters at 3S580 Naperville Road, Wheaton. Permits for DuPage residents are $7 per day or $35 per year and for nonresidents are $9 per day and $45 per year. Water usage stamps required by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources for private canoes and kayaks also are also available at district headquarters on weekdays.

For information, call Visitor Services at (630) 933-7248 or visit dupageforest.org and click on "Things to Do," "Recreational Activities" and the boating icon.