Kayaks will be available to rent between May and October at Whalon Lake in Naperville. The Will County Forest Preserve District Board Thursday approved a concessions license with Naperville Kayak. Paddling at Whalon Lake will be a bit easier this summer.
Will County Forest Preserve District Board commissioners Thursday approved a concessions license with Naperville Kayak to offer kayaks rentals at Whalon Lake. Rentals will be available from May through October.
The 80-acre lake is located in the Whalon Lake Preserve off Royce Road, just west of Route 53 in Naperville.
Officials said the agreement will be a good fit for kayakers who don’t want to haul their own equipment and for beginners who don’t have a kayak of their own.
“Being able to offer kayak rentals to visitors allows more access to paddling and the preserve,” Ralph Schultz, the district’s chief operating officer, said in a news release. “And for a person who doesn’t have the equipment, this is a good way to try it. This will just augment what we’re already doing.”
Naperville Kayak already has a partnership with the Naperville Park District at its downtown quarry, which covers about five acres.
The company will offer single and tandem kayaks for rent from 10 a.m. to dusk Tuesday through Sunday. A maximum of 30 kayaks will be allowed on the lake at one time. People will still be allowed to use their own kayaks as well. The lake has an 80-watercraft limit, according to the news release.
The forest preserve district will receive 10 percent of rental fees.
The district also operates its own rental facility at the Monee Reservoir in Monee Township, where boats, kayak and canoes are available for use.
