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 Michigan-Huron (Canada, Chicagoland Region, IL, Great Lakes of North America, Illinois, Indiana, Lake Michigan Region, WI, Michigan, North Indiana, Northeast Michigan, Northwest Michigan, Ontario, Canada, Southwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA, Upper Peninsula Region, MI, West Central Michigan, Wisconsin) |
5,463 mi | Lake Michigan and Lake Huron – two of North America’s Great Lakes – are contiguous and they share the same elevation of 577 feet above sea level. They… |
| Lake Michigan (Chicagoland Region, IL, Great Lakes of North America, Illinois, Indiana, Lake Michigan Region, WI, Michigan, North Indiana, Northwest Michigan, Southwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA, Upper Peninsula Region, MI, West Central Michigan, Wisconsin) |
1,638 mi | As the only Great Lake nestled completely within the boundaries of the United States, Lake Michigan is the pride and joy of Wisconsin, Illinois, India… |
| 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 Shelbyville, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
172 mi | Also known as Shelbyville Lake, Shelbyville Reservoir Seventeen miles and thousands of acres of water stretch out in front of power boaters leaving the dam at Lake Shelbyville. In addition to its wide exp… |
| Rend Lake, IL (Illinois, Southern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
162 mi | Rend Lake, located in southern Illinois, is a fantastic place to enjoy all sorts of outdoor recreational activities. This reservoir, the second larges… |
| Clinton Lake, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
130 mi | 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… |
| Lake of Egypt, IL (Illinois, Southern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
93 mi | 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… |
| Carlyle Lake, IL (Illinois, Southwest Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
85 mi | Also known as Carlyle Reservoir Carlyle Lake, located in south-central Illinois, holds dual titles as largest artificial lake and largest body of water wholly contained within the st… |
| Kinkaid Lake, IL (Illinois, Southern Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
73 mi | Kinkaid Lake is a scenic 2,350-acre reservoir surrounded by sandstone bluffs and rolling hills of oaks and hickories on the edge of the Shawnee Nation… |
| Lake Springfield, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
57 mi | 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 Mattoon, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
56 mi | Surrounded by farmlands in the Central region of Illinois is Lake Mattoon. A quiet and tranquil retreat for many Illinoisans and out-of-towners, the l… |
| Lake Taylorville, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
50 mi | 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… |