Lakes / Illinois / Kane County / Nelson Lake
Nelson Lake, Illinois
85.29 acres
Surface Area
Where It Sits, and How Deep It Goes
Locator - Illinois
41.83 degrees N, 88.38 degrees W - Kane 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 Nelson Lake Stacks Up
- Larger than 56% of the 511 lakes counted in Illinois.
- The largest lake in Kane County among those counted.
- About 39 miles from Chicago, as the crow flies.
Lakes Nearby
| Lake | County | Distance | Surface Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Law | DuPage | 7.9 mi | 52.39 acres |
| Lake Campton | Kane | 8.4 mi | 27.18 acres |
| Silver Lake | DuPage | 11 mi | 53.5 acres |
| Whalon Lake | Will | 17 mi | 80.93 acres |
| Lake Plainfield | Will | 18 mi | 88.22 acres |
| Lake Renwick | Will | 19 mi | 166.8 acres |
Straight-line distance between lake centers.
Facts and Figures
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 90587844). Verified October 30, 2026.