Best Lakes for Boating Near Rockford
Illinois
30 boating lakes within driving distance of Rockford, Illinois, ranked by water quality and boating-specific filters. Filtered for at least 100 acres and public access. The largest lakes with boat-worthy water are listed first.
Within reasonable driving distance of Rockford sit 30 measured lakes, a lake-dense area that gives residents real choice on any given weekend.
Filtered for boating, the nearby-lake list narrows further. boating-specific signals, fish species, public access, depth profile, motor-boat congestion, interact with the water-quality readings in different ways depending on the use case.
| # | Lake | County | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Geneva Lake | Walworth | 35.8 mi | 21 ft | 135 ft |
| 2 | Powers Lake | Kenosha | 44.8 mi | 10 ft | 33 ft |
| 3 | Turtle Lake | Walworth | 37.9 mi | 11 ft | 30 ft |
| 4 | Whitewater Lake | Walworth | 39.3 mi | 4 ft | 35 ft |
| 5 | Mill Lake | Walworth | 43.4 mi | 7.5 ft | 40 ft |
| 6 | Middle Lake | Walworth | 43.8 mi | 10 ft | 40 ft |
| 7 | Green Lake | Walworth | 44.2 mi | 11 ft | 57 ft |
| 8 | Pleasant Lake | Walworth | 45.1 mi | 12 ft | 29 ft |
| 9 | Lake Mary | Kenosha | 46.1 mi | 6.4 ft | 33 ft |
| 10 | Blue Spring Lake | Jefferson | 47.9 mi | 6.2 ft | 27 ft |
| 11 | Red Cedar Lake | Jefferson | 48.9 mi | 4 ft | 6 ft |
| 12 | Booth Lake | Walworth | 49.8 mi | 8 ft | 24 ft |
| 13 | Delavan Lake | Walworth | 33.5 mi | 8.9 ft | 52 ft |
| 14 | Lake Lorraine | Walworth | 36.9 mi | - | 8 ft |
| 15 | Comus Lake | Walworth | 34.5 mi | 1.5 ft | 6 ft |
| 16 | Outlet To Lake Geneva | Walworth | 39.2 mi | - | 135 ft |
| 17 | Rice Lake | Walworth | 40.2 mi | 1.7 ft | 10 ft |
| 18 | Lake Koshkonong | Jefferson | 40.4 mi | 1.7 ft | 7 ft |
| 19 | Rice Lake | Dane | 43.2 mi | 1.5 ft | 8 ft |
| 20 | Lake Kegonsa | Dane | 48.5 mi | 3.7 ft | 32 ft |
| 21 | Pierce Lake | Winnebago | 7.8 mi | - | - |
| 22 | Candlewick Lake | Boone | 13 mi | - | - |
| 23 | Lake Summerset | Winnebago | 19.8 mi | - | - |
| 24 | Rock River Lake | Rock | 29.1 mi | 21 ft | - |
| 25 | Decatur Lake | Green | 31.1 mi | - | - |
| 26 | Crystal Lake | McHenry | 37.8 mi | - | - |
| 27 | Lake Como | Walworth | 38.2 mi | - | - |
| 28 | Wonder Lake | McHenry | 38.6 mi | - | - |
| 29 | North Lake | Walworth | 40.4 mi | 3.5 ft | 11 ft |
| 30 | Vulcan Lakes | McHenry | 40.5 mi | - | - |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.