The second phase of the Wild Mile has been completed and opened at 905 W Eastman Street within the Near North Side. While it may have a land address, the public park which first opened in 2021 is completely floating along the banks of the north branch canal of the Chicago River behind the flagship REI store. Now non-profit Urban Rivers is celebrating its first expansion.
View of Wild Mile entry info by Ian Achong
View of Wild Mile expansion by Ian Achong
The Wild Mile is considered the first of its kind floating park. Placing wildlife at the center of its development, the first phase of the park contained over 12,000 native plantings representing nearly 60 species. Sitting on floating plant beds filled with various types of aggregate, the park is traversed by winding floating boardwalks constructed by FWM Docks.
View of Wild Mile expansion by Ian Achong
View of Wild Mile expansion by Ian Achong
Hosting various events, tours, and nature walks, the park has become a global success as other cities look at it for inspiration on revitalizing their own rivers. It’s also helped improve the ecology of the river and provide a home for many animal species which were long gone from the river like beavers. This new expansion builds on the knowledge gained from this first phase.
View of Wild Mile expansion by Ian Achong
View of Wild Mile expansion by Ian Achong
Now open, the expansion is slightly shorter than the original build but contains added plant species and more trees than the previous in collaboration with the Chicago Botanical Garden. New seating has been added and people are already enjoying the enlarged park which plans to reach a full mile in length between Halsted and North Avenue.
View of Wild Mile plant beds by Ian Achong
View of Wild Mile expansion by Ian Achong
Work and planting has wrapped up for the season as the park’s new section prepares for its first winter. While a timeline is unknown for future expansions, locals can visit Urban River’s other floating garden projects in Bubbly Creek, River Park, and South Halsted Riverwalk, many of which partner with the Shedd Aquarium as well.
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I’m really struggling to wrap my head around this park. Its a bunch of floating plastic rafts with plants on them linked together. Is this supposed to eventually turn into a new river bank through sedimentation? Is this just temporary? These rafts will eventually deteriorate. Looking at the pictures the shore is sheet piles, long term is the goal to return the shoreline to a natural state?
I think it’s suppose to bring extra greenery to the river. The plants will support biodiversity and the underwater roots will help clean the water
https://wildmile.org/