Lakes / Illinois / Lake County / Sterling Lake
Sterling Lake, Illinois
87.23 acres
Surface Area
Where It Sits, and How Deep It Goes
Locator - Illinois
42.48 degrees N, 87.94 degrees W - Lake 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 Sterling Lake Stacks Up
- Larger than 57% of the 511 lakes counted in Illinois.
- About 44 miles from Chicago, as the crow flies.
Lakes Nearby
| Lake | County | Distance | Surface Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elmwood Farms Lake | Lake | 3.6 mi | 51.65 acres |
| Huntley Lake | Lake | 4.5 mi | 31.38 acres |
| Deer Lake | Lake | 4.9 mi | 59.55 acres |
| White Lake | Lake | 5.4 mi | 43.1 acres |
| Waterford Lake | Lake | 5.5 mi | 67.46 acres |
| Redwing Slough Lake | Lake | 5.7 mi | 201.74 acres |
Straight-line distance between lake centers.
Facts and Figures
Questions About Sterling Lake
How Big Is Sterling Lake?
Sterling Lake covers 87.23 acres in Lake County, Illinois.
What Is the Largest Lake in Lake County?
Nippersink Lake is the largest lake in Lake County, at 2,492.93 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 109982172). Verified October 30, 2026.