Lakes / Illinois / McLean County / Dawson Lake
Dawson Lake, Illinois
154.69 acres
Surface Area
Where It Sits, and How Deep It Goes
Locator - Illinois
40.41 degrees N, 88.72 degrees W - McLean County. State and county outlines drawn from Census boundary data; the lake marker is placed by its USGS National Hydrography Dataset coordinates, not by eye. Schematic - not a survey map.
How Dawson Lake Stacks Up
- Larger than 71% of the 511 lakes counted in Illinois.
- About 50 miles from Peoria, as the crow flies.
Lakes Nearby
| Lake | County | Distance | Surface Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Clinton | De Witt | 18 mi | 4,585.53 acres |
| Lake Bloomington | McLean | 19 mi | 593.05 acres |
| Spring Lake | Champaign | 21 mi | 29.9 acres |
| Weldon Springs Lake | De Witt | 23 mi | 27.43 acres |
| Evergreen Lake | McLean | 23 mi | 877.22 acres |
| Lake of the Woods | Champaign | 23 mi | 28.66 acres |
Straight-line distance between lake centers.
Facts and Figures
Questions About Dawson Lake
How Big Is Dawson Lake?
Dawson Lake covers 154.69 acres in McLean County, Illinois.
What Is the Largest Lake in McLean County?
Evergreen Lake is the largest lake in McLean County, at 877.22 acres.
Largest Lakes in Illinois
| # | Lake | County | Surface Area | Max Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Carlyle Lake | Clinton | 22,796.77 acres | - |
| 2 | Mine Number 21 Reservoir | Franklin | 17,062.04 acres | - |
| 3 | Upper Peoria Lake | Woodford | 15,460.64 acres | - |
| 4 | Lake Shelbyville | Shelby | 10,235.1 acres | - |
| 5 | Crab Orchard Lake | Williamson | 7,292.57 acres | - |
All 511 Illinois lakes ranked by surface area
Sources: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (The National Map) lake data (ID 151862447). Verified October 30, 2026.