Reviews: DuSable Harbor

Reviewed by: David Richardson , Voyager (Grand Banks Europa 46'), on Sep 15, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 50'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 1

This city operated marina is in a super location if you can tolerate really poor customer service from office staff both in person and over the phone. The other nearby city operated marina named Burnham has nicer facilities with much more professional staff but a bit further walk to most Chicago destinations.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Douglas Morrow , Ripple, on Aug 8, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 39'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 4

Great location in Chicago. You can walk to Navy Pier on the bike path. Ubers and pedicabs are plentiful too. There are AC restrooms and showers and a washer and dryer. Locked Gates are on each dock. No help with docking but we got codes to the gate and restrooms at the office. Make sure you do one of the many architectural tours that you can get at Navy Pier.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: John Chant , Wild Goose, on Aug 5, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 42'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 4

Nice marina in heart of downtown Chicago. Great access via riverwalk bike trail. Gates are code locked, docks in great shape. Felt safe and did leave boat to tour. All information shared via email prior to arrival. No office check-in. Great choice for a stop!

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Graeme Walker , Confirmed Aquaholic, on Oct 22, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 54'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 3

Great location, very close to bike/ebike racks, careful of these, charges can be quite large on an ebike. The bathrooms are definitely 'prison' description, laundry room was a very small closet. They were too understaffed to help us dock in a Small Boat Advisory with 40knot winds when we arrived. Easy walking to downtown, grocery store and Navy Pier.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Capt Maria Langer , Do It Now, on Oct 14, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 32'
Draft: 2.5'

Rating: 4

DuSable Harbor is a very large but nice facility near downtown Chicago. The accommodating staff met my reservation requests. (I reserved through Dockwa.) It's located on a busy walking trail not far from Riverwalk and the Navy Pier. Each dock has a locked gate to prevent unauthorized people from wandering in. It's walking distance into the city for shopping and dining. Bicycle rentals are available nearby.

While the bathroom facilities aren't anything special, they are clean and have good showers. There's a small laundry room with a single washer and dryer. The office/store had a limited selection of merchandise in mid October; they close for the season at month end.

There was some noise from a Friday night party in a large boat permanently docked at the south end of the marina. Otherwise, it was surprisingly quiet. We enjoyed our stay.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: DeeDee H on Aug 28, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 34'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 4

Great location and security gates at each dock. Prison-like concrete showers and very tiny laundry closet with one washer and one dryer. Convenient to get around town. Would stay again for the location alone.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Reviewed by: Robert Webb , Doc's Aweigh, on Jul 23, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 54'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 4

A nice stop at base of downtown and Chicago Harbor Lock; and easy walk to Navy Pier where we took one of the Architecture River tours of downtown [well worth doing, because if you are going to cruise through the center of the city you won't have time to gawk at the sky-scrappers]; large marina with solid docks with gates. Office bit hard to find, but is right next to bathrooms [separate door from the public ones] and to a great outdoor restaurant/bar. Lots of people go by walking/jogging/biking all day. Helpful dockhands when docking. Uber pickup/dropoff is at south end of marina. We would stay again.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer