Loon Lakes
Loon Lakes are glacial lakes found in northern Lake County, Antioch, Illinois.
West Loon Lake is a 166-acre lake with 2.4 miles of shoreline. The maximum depth is 38’ with an average depth of 14.9’. It is surrounded by residential areas except on the western shoreline where it is bordered by railroad tracks. The Lake County Forest Preserve District (LCFPD) owns 1,000 feet of waterfront. West Loon Lake is consistently ranked as one of the cleanest lakes in the state of Illinois (top 10 ranking Illinois Environmental Protection Agency IPEA). The transparency of the lake is 15 to 18 feet depending on the time of the year.
East Loon Lake is 178-acre lake with a maximum depth of 26’and an average depth of 6.8 feet. It is bordered by residential properties and property owned by Northern Illinois Conversation Club (NICC) and Lake County Forest Preserve (LCFPD) on the northern shoreline. The clarity of East Loon is poorer than West, only 5 to 7 feet.
East and West Loon Lake was used as a source of ice during the late 19th and early 20th century. There was an ice house on the north shore of West Loon Lake and another ice house was located on the south side of Loon Lake Road. Ice was distributed to areas such as Chicago from the train depot that was located near the corner of Grass Lake Road and Route 83.
Both lakes are home to many different species of fish, birds, reptiles and amphibians.
Threatened and endangered fish species
Illinois Department of Natural Resources 2020 Threatened and Endangered Species study indicated that East and West Loon Lakes are home to five (5) endangered fish species. Additionally, there was one (1) endangered native plant also identified. These species require abundant native vegetation.