Largest lakes & reservoirs in Northern 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 7 articles we have published for Northern Illinois lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > Illinois > Northern Illinois > Compared by longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in Northern Illinois, only the 7 Northern Illinois lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Shoreline length in miles |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Fox Chain O’Lakes, IL (Chicagoland Region, IL, Illinois, Northern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
488 mi | Also known as Fox Chain of Lakes, Channel Lake, Lake Catherine, Lake Marie, Bluff Lake, Petite Lake, Grass Lake, Fox Lake, Nippersink Lake, Pistakee Lake The Fox Chain O’Lakes is a collection of 15 navigable lakes on the Fox River, each with its own flavor. Called the “Key West of the Midwest,” the Chai … |
| 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 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 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 … |
| 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 … |