Lakes / Illinois / Whiteside County / Wares Lake
Wares Lake, Illinois
39.04 acres
Surface Area
Where It Sits, and How Deep It Goes
Locator - Illinois
41.89 degrees N, 90.14 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 Wares Lake Stacks Up
- Larger than 25% of the 511 lakes counted in Illinois.
- About 60 miles from Rockford, as the crow flies.
Lakes Nearby
| Lake | County | Distance | Surface Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Carlton | Whiteside | 9.7 mi | 72.4 acres |
| Spring Lake | Carroll | 11 mi | 2,864.94 acres |
| Misquakee Lake | Carroll | 13 mi | 26.19 acres |
| Bowens Lake | Carroll | 13 mi | 32.62 acres |
| Lake Erie | Whiteside | 16 mi | 31.88 acres |
| West Hickory Lake | Carroll | 17 mi | 924.51 acres |
Straight-line distance between lake centers.
Facts and Figures
Questions About Wares Lake
How Big Is Wares Lake?
Wares Lake covers 39.04 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 145756143). Verified October 30, 2026.