Carlyle Lake
Fed by the Kaskaskia River, Carlyle Lake holds roughly 26,000 acres of water in Illinois. Its shoreline falls inside Clinton…
Reservoir1 beach
State
Lake beaches and swimming lakes in Illinois
Illinois has 10 lakes and reservoirs in this guide. Almost all of them are reservoirs held back by a dam. The largest is Carlyle Lake at about 26,000 acres. The deepest water on record here is at Devils Kitchen Lake, about 90 feet. Rivers that feed or drain them include the Kaskaskia River, the Salt Creek and the Crab Orchard Creek. No lake in Illinois currently has a public level gauge that we can read automatically, so these pages show access, weather and sources rather than a level chart. The agency behind the most lakes here is USACE St. Louis District. Across the state we map 1 named swimming spots and access points from federal and state sources.
6Lakes
1Swimming spots
Lakes in Illinois on the map
Click a marker to open the lake page.
Lakes in Illinois
Each page has the live water level, weather, access points and sources.
Lake Shelbyville
Lake Shelbyville is a 11,100-acre reservoir on the Kaskaskia River in Illinois. You will find it in Moultrie County. Management…
Reservoir
Rend Lake
Rend Lake covers about 18,900 acres of the Big Muddy River in Illinois. You will find it in Franklin County. Management is in the…
Reservoir
Lake Springfield
Lake Springfield covers about 3,965 acres of the Sugar Creek in Illinois. Its shoreline falls inside Sangamon County. Management…
Reservoir
Clinton Lake
Clinton Lake is a 7,000-acre reservoir on the Wakarusa River in Kansas. The lake is in Douglas County. It is managed by USACE…
Reservoir
Lake Decatur
Lake Decatur is a 2,718-acre reservoir on the Sangamon River in Illinois. The lake is in Macon County. Management is in the hands…
Reservoir
Current lake levels in Illinois
Where no agency publishes a level, the page says so instead of estimating one. Check the level before planning a trip around a specific ramp or beach.
| Lake | Level | Full pool | How full |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlyle Lake | — | — | no percent published |
| Lake Shelbyville | — | — | no percent published |
| Rend Lake | — | — | no percent published |
| Lake Springfield | — | — | no percent published |
| Clinton Lake | — | — | no percent published |
| Lake Decatur | — | — | no percent published |
Cities in Illinois
Lakes and swimming spots near the main towns.