Deepest lakes & reservoirs in Illinois by maximum depth (ft)
The estimated greatest depth of the water in a lake can be measured at the lake’s normal elevation. If the water volume and surface area of a lake are known, an estimate of the lake’s average depth can be calculated:Water volume ÷ Surface Area = Average Depth
Example: 1,000,000 acre-feet ÷ 20,000 acres = 50 feet average depth.
You can find many of the the world’s deepest lakes on LakeLubbers. If you sort the list, you will find the (maximum depth of) the shallowest lakes in our database. Note: For some lakes, lake depth data is unknown, so this table may display fewer lakes than the total 64 articles we have published for Illinois lakes.
Thinking about booking a Illinois lake vacation home rental, cabin or hotel?
Use our free interactive vacation rental map to search and compare multiple vacation properties at a glance. Enter a lake name, a state or city and then simply click on a listing to compare all similar properties, best rates and availability for your dates.Search results: Sort lakes by max depth (feet)
Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > Illinois > Compared by maximum depth in feet. This list does not represent all lakes in Illinois, only the 64 Illinois lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Max depth in feet |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Carroll, IL (Illinois, Northern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
55 ft | Lake Carroll is a sparkling freshwater lake located in Carroll County, in the northwest corner of Illinois. This private body of water sits in the mid … |
| Gages Lake, IL (Chicagoland Region, IL, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
55 ft | Gages Lake, in the Chicagoland Region of Illinois, is the perfect example of why those “in the know” love Lake County. USNews recently listed the Gage … |
| Evergreen Lake (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
53 ft | Also known as Evergreen Reservoir One of Central Illinois’ best-kept secret lies just north of Bloomington: Evergreen Lake. When the growing city needed additional water supply in 1971 … |
| Lake of Egypt, IL (Illinois, Southern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
52 ft | She settles herself into the kayak and pushes away from the shore. The small boat cuts through the fog rising from the surface of the lake, and she tu … |
| Lake Sara, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
52 ft | Also known as Sara Reservoir Lake Sara – a refreshing oasis in central Illinois! What does a community like Effingham Illinois do when they run out of water? They build a reservoi … |
| Lake Galena (Illinois, Northern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
50 ft | Also known as Galena Lake, Galena Reservoir Tucked in a corner of the Northern Region of Illinois, Lake Galena presents one of the finest examples of a well-planned manmade lake. Galena Reservoi … |
| Deep Lake IL (Chicagoland Region, IL, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
48 ft | Even in a county with hundreds of lakes, Deep Lake stands out. Located in Lake County, in the Chicagoland Region of Illinois, private Deep Lake is not … |
| Crystal Lake IL (Chicagoland Region, IL, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
41 ft | Crystal Lake, in the Chicagoland Region of Illinois, is a water playground surrounded by a decidedly urban landscape. Located in the Chicago Northwest … |
| Clinton Lake, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
40 ft | Also known as Clinton Reservoir Travel to central Illinois and you’ll find Clinton Lake, a 4,900 acre lake just 3 miles east of Clinton. Though the lake was originally built as a coo … |
| Fyre Lake, IL (Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA, Western Illinois) |
40 ft | A musical artist may have made Fire Lake famous, but he didn’t know about Fyre Lake! Located in the Western Region of Illinois a few miles south of th … |
| Cedar Lake, IL (Illinois, Southern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
40 ft | Cedar Lake is located at the edge of the Shawnee National Forest in southern Illinois. This 1,750-acre reservoir was created by the City of Carbondale … |
| East Fork Lake, IL (Illinois, Southern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
36 ft | Also known as East Fork Reservoir East Fork Lake, in the Southern Region of Illinois, is a well-kept secret in a land of many secrets. The southern third of Illinois has been known as … |