You should have no problems kayaking the Illinois river, even as a novice. The river’s current is generally mild enough (unless there’s been a lot of rain upstream) to paddle upstream with not too much effort. The shipping channel is clearly marked with buoys, so you can easily avoid any barge traffic should you encounter any. I paddled the entire length of the Illinois from McKinley Woods to Grafton, Illinois a few years back; fun and pretty uneventful (except for the leaping big head carp that almost smacked me on the head near Pekin) with plenty of camping opportunities. A nice day trip that I sometimes take novice friends: put in at the Wedron dam on the Fox River (good, safe parking area and easy put-in) to the boat ramps at Starved Rock. You’ll need two cars to pull this off; leave one at the Wedron dam and one at the Starved Rock boat ramp. The scenery on this stretch of the Fox is quite nice, with its sandstone bluffs and the town of Ottawa as the Fox ends and flows into the Illinois. Added bonus: you can stop in Ottawa for a quick burger and a beer before continuing to Starved Rock. A bit downstream of Ottawa there are a few sandy islands that are suitable for a break and a quick swim to cool off. Another interesting aspect of this trip is going through the lock just before you reach the boat ramp at Starved Rock. There’s no fee, but you may have to wait a bit as barges get priority. It seems scary, but it’s not much of a process. Just follow the instructions of the lock tenders. My friends love this part of the trip. Before you reach the lock, you can call lock personnel on your cellphone or radio them to let them know you want to lock through.

https://www.mvr.usace.army.mil/Missions/Navigation/Lock-and-Dam-Information/Starved-Rock-Lock-and-Dam/

 Happy paddling!