Largest lakes & reservoirs in Northern Illinois by acres
There is no widely-accepted minimum surface area that defines a lake. What LakeLubbers describes as a lake, you might call a pond. Acreage of a lake (or sometimes square kilometers) is most often measured at the top surface area when the lake is at normal elevation. The surface area can be considerably smaller or larger when lake levels are lower or higher than normal. North America’s Lake Superior is the world’s largest freshwater lake by this measure.The other measure of a lake’s size is the lake’s water volume. By that measure, the world’s largest freshwater lake is Lake Baikal in Siberia.
You can find many of the world’s largest lakes (acres) on LakeLubbers in the comparison table below. Note: For some lakes, "Largest Lakes - Acres" data is unknown or does not apply, so you may see 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 surface area in acres. 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  |
Surface area in acres |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Fox Chain O’Lakes, IL (Chicagoland Region, IL, Illinois, Northern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
7,110 ac | 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… |
| Elizabeth Lake, IL/WI (Illinois, Lake Michigan Region, WI, Northern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
638 ac | 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… |
| Lake Carroll, IL (Illinois, Northern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
636 ac | 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) |
480 ac | 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 Galena (Illinois, Northern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
225 ac | 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… |
| Candlewick Lake, IL (Illinois, Northern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
210 ac | 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… |
| Lake Thunderbird, IL (Illinois, Northern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA, Western Illinois) |
115 ac | 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… |