Lakes / Illinois / Whiteside County / Lake Carlton
Lake Carlton, Illinois
72.4 acres
Surface Area
Where It Sits, and How Deep It Goes
Locator - Illinois
41.85 degrees N, 89.97 degrees W - Whiteside 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 Lake Carlton Stacks Up
- Larger than 51% of the 511 lakes counted in Illinois.
- The largest lake in Whiteside County among those counted.
- About 54 miles from Rockford, as the crow flies.
Lakes Nearby
| Lake | County | Distance | Surface Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wares Lake | Whiteside | 9.7 mi | 39.04 acres |
| Lake Erie | Whiteside | 13 mi | 31.88 acres |
| Spring Lake | Carroll | 17 mi | 2,864.94 acres |
| Misquakee Lake | Carroll | 18 mi | 26.19 acres |
| Bowens Lake | Carroll | 19 mi | 32.62 acres |
| West Hickory Lake | Carroll | 23 mi | 924.51 acres |
Straight-line distance between lake centers.
Facts and Figures
Questions About Lake Carlton
How Big Is Lake Carlton?
Lake Carlton covers 72.4 acres in Whiteside County, Illinois.
What Is the Largest Lake in Whiteside County?
Lake Carlton is the largest lake in Whiteside County, at 72.4 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 145608202). Verified October 30, 2026.