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.
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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 |
|---|---|---|
| Bluff Lake, IL (Chicagoland Region, IL, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
31 ft | Also known as Fox Chain O'Lakes Bluff Lake is a part of the Fox Chain O’Lakes in northeastern Illinois’ Chicagoland tourism region, just 40 miles northwest of Chicago. This chain of … |
| Lake Zurich, IL (Chicagoland Region, IL, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
30 ft | Also known as Cedar Lake Lake Zurich is a charming private lake conveniently located 35 miles northwest of Chicago, Illinois and approximately 50 miles south of Milwaukee, Wis … |
| Lake Springfield, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
30 ft | Lake Springfield at Springfield, Illinois is the largest municipally owned lake in Illinois at 4,234 acres. City Water, Light & Power built the re … |
| Lake Taylorville, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
30 ft | Completed in 1962 by the City of Taylorville, Illinois, Lake Taylorville is the city’s source of water and a major recreation facility. The reservoir … |
| Holiday Shores Lake, IL (Illinois, Southwest Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
28 ft | Also known as Holiday Lake Holiday Shores Lake is a sprawling 430-acre, man-made lake in Madison County, Illinois. Formed by the damming of Joulters Creek in 1965, this unique l … |
| Crooked Lake, IL (Chicagoland Region, IL, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
27 ft | In a landscape dotted by glacial lakes and wetlands, Crooked Lake is in the aptly named Lake County of Illinois. Situated in the Chicagoland tourist r … |
| Lake Wee-Ma-Tuk (Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA, Western Illinois) |
25 ft | Lake Wee-Ma-Tuk, located southwest of Peoria, Illinois, is a shining example of thoughtful land restoration. The 154-acre private lake is part of an u … |
| Crab Orchard Lake, IL (Illinois, Southern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
25 ft | Crab Orchard Lake is the largest of three reservoirs that are part of the 43,899-acre Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge in southwestern Williamson … |
| Lake Glenn Shoals, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
25 ft | Also known as Glenn Shoals Lake Lake Glenn Shoals, also known as Glenn Shoals Lake, is located near Hillsboro, Illinois. The City of Hillsboro built the lake for flood control and wa … |
| Governor Bond Lake, IL (Illinois, Southwest Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
25 ft | Also known as Greenville New City Lake Governor Bond Lake is proclaimed to be one of Greenville, Illinois best kept secrets. A water supply reservoir built in the late 1960’s has become a t … |
| Candlewick Lake, IL (Illinois, Northern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
22 ft | Tucked away in the northern region of Illinois, 60 miles west of Chicago, Candlewick Lake offers respite at the end of a long day or recreation during … |
| Dunns Lake, IL (Chicagoland Region, IL, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
20 ft | Also known as Fox Chain O'Lakes If a vacation on the Fox River Chain of Lakes appeals to you, Dunns Lake in the Chicagoland Region is just the ticket. This small lake, reached via a … |