Chain O'Lakes State Park, an Indiana State Park near Columbia City, Fort Wayne, Kendallville

USA

Indiana

Chain O'Lakes State Park

Photo Courtesy Tron Artavatkun

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Facilities and Activities:

Day-Use Fishing yes
Hiking Trail, miles yes
Picnicking yes
Picnic Shelters, # yes
Swimming Beach, feet yes
Nature Center yes
Nature Programs yes
Boating Boat Rental yes
Boating Limits -1
Launch Ramps, # 1
Camping Primative, # 82
Electric Sites, # 331
Flush Toilets yes
Dumpstation yes
Showers yes
Camp Commissary yes
Camper Cabins, # yes
Group Camp, capacity yes
Youth Group Camp, capacity yes
Winter Cross-Country Skiing yes
Ice Fishing yes

State Park Location Maps:

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State Park Photo Gallery:
volunteer positions open

State Park Event Calendar:
volunteer positions open

Photo Courtesy Tron Artavatkun

VIEW PHOTO GALLERY

Nearby Parks:
Gene Stratton Porter State Memorial
Tri-County State Fish And Game Area
Wawasee State Fish Hatchery

State Park Contact Information:
	Chain O'Lakes State Park
Adopt-A-Park Contacts:
	Yogi's Helper: volunteer positions open Nature Programs: volunteer positions open Photography: volunteer positions open

State Park Overview:

Located in the heart of Illinois' largest concentration of natural lakes, Chain O Lakes State Park is a water oriented recreation area with outstanding opportunities for boaters, anglers and skiers. The park borders three natural lakes - Grass, Marie and Nippersink - and the Fox River that connects the other seven lakes (Bluff, Fox, Pistakee, Channel, Petite, Catherine and Redhead) that make up the Chain. In addition, the park contains a 44-acre lake within its boundaries.

The 2,793 acre state park and adjoining 3,230 acre conservation area are located in the northeastern corner of Illinois in both McHenry and Lake counties. The park is 60 miles northwest of Chicago, 20 miles west of Lake Michigan and only 4 miles south of the Illinois/Wisconsin border. With nearly 6,500 acres of water and 488 miles of shoreline on the chain, Chain O Lakes State Park is the heart of water wonderland.

Nature of the Area:

The land making up Chain O Lakes State Park is chiefly fresh waterbog over deep peat deposits. The river bluff areas and gently sloping morainal hills rise to 200 feet, and were deposited by Illinois' last glacier.

Chain O' Lakes has a mixture of oak and hickory hardwood timber. The park also contains cherry, elm, birch, sumac and spruce with rich colors that attract numerous visitors each fall, plus some scattered pine plantings.

Nature lovers will find a rich assortment of wildflowers in the spring, summer and fall.

Grass Lake once was almost entirely covered with American Lotus each summer, and attracted great crowds including tour boats, annually. The lake still contains some areas of lotus.

Two hundred acres of restored native prairie provide nesting habitat for grassland bird species.

Some of the wildlife you are likely to encounter within the park are white-tailed deer, rabbits, ground squirrels, chipmunks, mink, opossum, skunks, raccoons, gophers, fox, badgers, beaver, coyotes, and groundhogs. A check-list of the nearly 200 birds that have been identified in the park is available at the park office.

Reviews By Park Visitors:

visitor rating:

(5 votes) |Post Your Own Review

Great nature area, lots to see and do!

Services are very nice and a lot of great things to do!

(name not given) 22-May-2008

Favorite local park!

Great fishing, along with great times at this park.

(name not given) 23-May-2008

STAY AWAY AT ALL COSTS

SO WE CAN GET A CAMPING SPOT WE LOVE THIS PARK WHETHER CAMPING OR IN ONE OF THE CABINS

Written by QUARK 18-Jun-2008

Our family loves this park! The cabiins rock and the lakes and streams are great to canoe on! Fishing is pretty good too!

(name not given) 14-Jul-2008

a retirement heaven

absolutely beautiful. relaxing and serene. If you love Bambi, you surely will love it here. I loved it so much that I am selling my home here in new mexico and moving to Albion Indiana so my husband and I can retire in peace and enjoy the rest of our lives by the lakes.

(name not given) 26-Jul-2008

Camping:

The park has Class A-Premium areas (Honey Suckle Hollow and Fox Den) with a total of 151 sites for $20 each per night; three Class B-Premium camp areas (Turner Lake South, Prairie View and Mud Lake East) with a combined total of 87 sites for $12 each per night; and we have one youth group camp area (Mud Lake West) for 150 youths, fee $2 per person minimum $20 per night. Maximum stay for campsites is 14 nights in a 30 day period. A responsible adult (18 years of age or older) acquiring a permit must have a camp shelter and set up at the time of registration. All campers must have a permit and also bring their own firewood, no one is allowed to pick up wood in the park. Alcohol is prohibited in the campgrounds. Limited campsites are available for reserving (see reservations).

Rent A Tent:

If you're a novice camper, Chain O' Lakes has one Rent-A-Camp unit available. The camp site comes with a tent, cots, fire extinguisher, light, broom, dust pan, charcoal grill, fire ring and picnic table. No dogs or other pets are allowed at tent site. A maximum of eight people may rent the tent, the cost for tent rental is $32. A $5 non-refundable reservation fee is required.

Trails:

Chain O Lakes has four trail systems. The Nature's Way hiking trail starts at Oak Grove Picnic Area and is 2 ? miles in length. The Pike Marsh North Picnic Area has a trail especially designed for disabled users that is ? mile long. The park also contains an equestrian trail with three loops and a total length of 8 miles. Visitors can bring in their own horses for enjoyment on the trail. A parking lot for horse trailers with access to the equestrian trails is located near the park entrance. A biking/hiking trail, 6 miles in length can be accessed at any picnic area between the concession stand and the park office. In the winter all trails can be used by cross-country skiers with the park office doubling as a warming house on weekends with 3" of snow; hours are 10 a.m.- 3 p.m.

Picnicking:

The park features seven picnic areas with tables, water fountains, grills and toilets. Oak Grove, Maple Grove and Oak Point have playground equipment. Oak Pont, Deer path, Oak Grove and Catfish Cove have picnic shelters. Reservations and a $25 fee are required for shelters. Groups of 25 or more must secure advanced written permission for picnics from the Park Office.

Boating:

There is no charge to launch boats at the park, nor is there any horsepower limitations on boats using any of the Chain O' Lakes. Electric trolling motors only are allowed on boats on Turner Lake, a 44 acre lake in the park. A user fee is required for all boats using the Chain O Lakes charged by the Fox Waterway Agency. Stickers are available at the park concession stand/boat launch.

History of the Area:

The Chain O Lakes area was inhabited by central Algonquian Tribes when Europeans first arrived in the Mid-1600's. The predominant tribes in the region at that time were the Miami, Mascouten and Potawatomi. These Native American groups led a semi-mobile lifestyle and grew corn, hunted, fished and gathered wild plant foods.

Joliet and Marquette passed through what today is Chain O Lakes State Park in 1673, as they traveled the Fox River during their Illinois explorations. French trappers and traders were the first Europeans to explore the area. The first European settlement was at Fort Hill, near Mundelein, a large mound rising out of the prairie, formerly a lookout point for the Indians.

Chain O Lakes became a state park in 1945, when the State of Illinois made an initial purchase of 840 acres. In the 1930's a Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) camp became the Chain O Lakes Conservation Area. This land was incorporated into the state park in 1957. The farm at the park was purchased by the Department of Conservation in 1969. The property was originally owned by the Stevens family, farmers who received the land under a land grant in 1843.

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