Largest lakes & reservoirs in Illinois by shoreline length
The length of the exterior shoreline around a lake is measured at the lake’s normal elevation. The shoreline length can be considerably shorter or longer when lake water levels are lower or higher than normal. A lake with many coves has a much longer shoreline than a lake of similar surface area that is nearly circular in shape.When known, the shoreline miles that we report in our statistics include only the lake’s exterior shoreline, and exclude the shorelines of islands located within a lake’s boundaries. In lakes with many islands, those islands’ combined shorelines may exceed a lake’s exterior shoreline.
You can find many of the world’s longest-shoreline lakes on LakeLubbers. Note: For some lakes, "Longest Shorelines" data is unknown or does not apply, 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 longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in Illinois, only the 64 Illinois lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Shoreline length in miles | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Lake Carroll, IL (Illinois, Northern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
16 mi | 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 … |
Apple Canyon Lake, IL (Illinois, Northern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
15 mi | Set among the rolling hills and fertile farmland of far northwestern Illinois, life at Apple Canyon Lake is an eternal vacation. Located in scenic Jo … |
Lake Petersburg, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
15 mi | Also known as Petersburg Lake, Petersburg Reservoir Something in human nature seems to require a water body to feel complete: Lake Petersburg fills that need. The people of Petersburg on the border betw … |
Grass Lake, IL (Chicagoland Region, IL, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
9 mi | Also known as Fox Chain O'Lakes Grass Lake is one of nine lakes linked by channels to form the Fox Chain O’Lakes in northern Illinois. The combination of lakes is the largest inland, … |
Lake Thunderbird, IL (Illinois, Northern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA, Western Illinois) |
8 mi | Nestled in the rural Illinois woods, Lake Thunderbird is set in Putnam County, the smallest county in Illinois. The lake, located on the border of the … |
Lake Wee-Ma-Tuk (Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA, Western Illinois) |
8 mi | 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 … |
Wonder Lake (Chicagoland Region, IL, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
7 mi | Wonder Lake is the 830-acre centerpiece of a planned lakefront community in the Chicagoland area of Illinois. That was the vision of developers in 192 … |
Lake Galena (Illinois, Northern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
7 mi | 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 … |
Lake Wildwood IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
7 mi | Build it and they will come’ is the true story behind Lake Wildwood in Central Illinois. As the population grew in the 1960s and 1970s, developers fou … |
Elizabeth Lake, IL/WI (Illinois, Lake Michigan Region, WI, Northern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
6 mi | Also known as Lake Elizabeth, Twin Lakes Lake Elizabeth or Elizabeth Lake, as it is more commonly known, has been a vacation getaway for over 150 years. Located in the Northern Region of Illi … |
Bangs Lake, IL (Chicagoland Region, IL, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
6 mi | Bangs Lake is a natural glacial lake located in northeastern Illinois’ Lake County. Bangs Lake is surrounded by the developing northern suburbs of Chi … |
Lake Carlinville, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
5 mi | Also known as Carlinville Lake, Lake 1 and Lake 2 Located in the Central region of Illinois, Lake Carlinville (also known as Carlinville Lake) is a 355-acre lake used for drinking water and recreation … |