An Overview of Illinois's Rivers and Lakes
Largest and Most Famous Rivers, Lakes, Reservoirs, and Streams
Illinois is defined by great boundary rivers — the Mississippi (west), Ohio (south), and Wabash (southeast) — and by the interior Illinois River system that links the Great Lakes to the Mississippi. Important tributaries include the Rock River (northwest), Fox River, Des Plaines River, Kankakee River, Vermilion River (Illinois River trib.), Spoon, Mackinaw, Sangamon, La Moine, Embarras, Little Wabash, Skillet Fork, Saline, Big Muddy, and the Cache River in the cypress swamps of the far south. Major waters include Lake Michigan (Illinois waters), and large reservoirs such as Carlyle Lake, Rend Lake, Lake Shelbyville, Clinton Lake, Lake Springfield, Lake Decatur, Kinkaid Lake, Crab Orchard Lake, and the Fox Chain O’Lakes.
Water Sources for Rivers and Lakes
Flows are driven by rainfall and snowmelt across the prairie and till plains. The Chicago River and connected canals (Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal, Cal‑Sag Channel) reverse historic drainage, sending Chicago’s waters toward the Mississippi via the Illinois Waterway.
Types of Rivers
Illinois features:
- Piedmont‑to‑prairie transitions on northern rivers like the Fox and Rock.
- Meandering prairie rivers (Sangamon, Spoon, Mackinaw) with broad floodplains.
- Low‑gradient bottomland rivers in the south (Big Muddy, Cache, Saline).
Types of Lakes
Illinois has few large natural lakes; most are reservoirs (e.g., Carlyle, Shelbyville, Rend, Clinton) built for flood control, water supply, cooling, and recreation. Notable natural systems include Lake Michigan (IL waters) and the Fox Chain O’Lakes (glacial kettles and riverine lakes).
River Directions
Nearly all surface water ultimately drains to the Mississippi River; only the immediate Lake Michigan shoreline would naturally drain to the Great Lakes without canal diversions.
Navigation & Dams
The Illinois Waterway (Illinois River + canals) and Upper Mississippi are lined with locks & dams that maintain navigation pools for barge traffic (grain, petroleum, aggregates). Large reservoirs (Carlyle, Shelbyville) and cooling lakes (Clinton, La Salle, Powerton) provide storage and thermal capacity.
Recreation on Rivers and Lakes
Popular boating and fishing on the Chain O’Lakes, Carlyle, Rend, Shelbyville, and Crab Orchard; paddling on the Kankakee, Fox, Rock, and Vermilion; scenic bluffs along the Illinois River near Starved Rock.
Flooding & Urban Issues
Major floods recur on the Mississippi and Illinois (levee overtopping, backwater inundation). Urban stormwater and combined sewer overflows are ongoing management challenges in the Chicago area.
Agriculture & Water
Drainage tiles and channelized tributaries support extensive agriculture; navigation moves Illinois grain to Gulf ports. Irrigation is modest compared to western states but growing in some districts.
Water‑Quality & Invasive Species
Priority issues include nutrient runoff to the Illinois/Mississippi, legacy contamination in industrial reaches, and invasive carp barriers near Chicago to protect the Great Lakes.
Illinois Rivers, Lakes, Streams and Water Features
Mississippi River (IL reach), IL
Illinois River, IL
Ohio River (IL reach), IL
Wabash River (IL–IN), IL
Rock River (IL reach), IL
Kaskaskia River, IL
Des Plaines River, IL
Fox River (IL), IL
Chicago River, IL
North Branch Chicago River, IL
South Branch Chicago River, IL
Chicago Sanitary & Ship Canal, IL
Cal‑Sag Channel, IL
Little Calumet River, IL
Grand Calumet River (IL reach), IL
Kankakee River (IL reach), IL
Iroquois River (IL reach), IL
Vermilion River (Illinois River trib.), IL
Spoon River, IL
Mackinaw River, IL
Sangamon River, IL
Salt Creek (Sangamon trib.), IL
La Moine River, IL
Kickapoo Creek (Peoria), IL
Vermilion River (Wabash trib. – IL reach), IL
Embarras River, IL
Little Wabash River, IL
Skillet Fork, IL
Saline River, IL
Big Muddy River, IL
Cache River, IL
Saline Branch (Urbana), IL
Sugar Creek (Sangamon Co), IL
Green River (Rock trib.), IL
Pecatonica River (IL reach), IL
Apple River, IL
Galena River (Fever River), IL
Plum River, IL
Henderson Creek, IL
Edwards River, IL
Sangamon River South Fork, IL
Vermilion River North Fork (Wabash), IL
Kishwaukee River, IL
South Branch Kishwaukee River, IL
Piscasaw Creek, IL
Nippersink Creek, IL
Poplar Creek, IL
DuPage River East Branch, IL
DuPage River West Branch, IL
Salt Creek (Des Plaines trib.), IL
Mill Creek (Kane Co), IL
Ferson Creek, IL
Mazon River, IL
Vermilion River (Pontiac reach), IL
Vermilion River (Streator reach), IL
Aux Sable Creek, IL
Fox River (Little Fox), IL
Vermilion River (Little Vermilion – IL/IN), IL
Bonpas Creek, IL
Little Wabash North Fork, IL
Cahokia Creek, IL
Wood River, IL
Silver Creek (Kaskaskia trib.), IL
Shoal Creek, IL
Beaucoup Creek, IL
Big Muddy River Middle Fork, IL
Big Muddy River Little Muddy, IL
Crab Orchard Creek, IL
Cache River Cypress Creek, IL
Saline River South Fork, IL
Lake Michigan (Illinois waters), IL
Fox Chain O’Lakes (system), IL
Fox Lake, IL
Pistakee Lake, IL
Nippersink Lake, IL
Channel Lake, IL
Lake Catherine, IL
Bluff Lake, IL
Petite Lake, IL
Grass Lake, IL
Lake Marie, IL
Long Lake (Lake Co), IL
Carlyle Lake, IL
Rend Lake, IL
Lake Shelbyville, IL
Clinton Lake, IL
Lake Springfield, IL
Lake Decatur, IL
Kinkaid Lake, IL
Crab Orchard Lake, IL
Horseshoe Lake (Madison Co), IL
Horseshoe Lake (Alexander Co), IL
Cedar Lake (Jackson Co), IL
Lake of Egypt, IL
Evergreen Lake (McLean Co), IL
Lake Bloomington, IL
Lake Vermilion (Danville), IL
Lake Vermilion (Vermilion Co), IL
Lake Mattoon, IL
Lake Charleston, IL
Lake Sara (Effingham), IL
Otter Lake (Macoupin), IL
Lake Jacksonville, IL
Argyle Lake, IL
Siloam Springs Lake, IL
Lake Murphysboro, IL
Pierce Lake (Rock Cut), IL
Shabbona Lake, IL
Lake Le‑Aqua‑Na, IL
Busse Lake (Ned Brown), IL
Skokie Lagoons, IL
Maple Lake (Cook), IL
Tampier Lake, IL
Sag Quarry East/West, IL
Lake Calumet, IL
La Salle Lake, IL
Heidecke Lake, IL
Powerton Lake, IL
Banner Marsh Lakes (Wheel/Johnson), IL
Spring Lake (Tazewell/Mason), IL
Washington County Lake, IL
Ramsey Lake, IL
Forbes Lake, IL
Lake Glenn Shoals, IL
Lake Lou Yaeger, IL
Blue Lake (Joliet – I&M), IL
Mazonia Lakes (Braidwood), IL
Lake Pittsfield, IL
Bindley (Weldon Springs) Lake, IL
Lake Taylorville, IL
Lake Petersburg, IL
Highland Silver Lake, IL
Carlinville Lake, IL
Walnut Point Lake, IL
Kickapoo State Lakes, IL
Ferne Clyffe Lake, IL
Dutchman Lake, IL
Sam Dale Lake, IL
Buckingham Lake (Kankakee), IL
Johnson‑Sauk Trail Lake, IL
Lake Carlton (Morrison‑Rockwood), IL
Illinois & Michigan Canal (I&M), IL
Hennepin Canal, IL
Kaskaskia River Navigation Canal, IL
