The Sugar River is a great river for paddling due to its remoteness, heavily wooded banks, abundance of wildlife, and sandy river bed resulting in clear waters. Very little development or structures are seen while paddling this section of river and it passes through three forest preserve areas. Downed trees and obstructions on the river can be present and may require some portaging but the current is very slow and steady making it easy to paddle. There are also lots of sandbars that can be used for resting spots.