The Best Swimming Lake in Illinois with Water Clear Like the Caribbean

This 40-acre lake is as close as any Illinois body of water will ever be to being like Caribbean water. It's the cleanest and best swimming in the entire state.

How to Tell if the Water is Safe for Swimming

You can start whipping out your facts about what makes water safe for swimming, but I don't need any of it. I only need what I can see, more specifically, what I CANNOT see.

Somewhere in life, I started getting uncomfortable with the idea of not being able to see what could be swimming between my legs. I pretty much stick to pools and the wonderful opportunities to swim in clear ocean water, particularly Caribbean waters.

If you have any of the same issues with water as me, you're going to love this man-made 40-acre lake I just discovered.

Lake Le-Aqua-Na

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Lake Le-Aqua-Na is a manmade lake and is known for having some of the clearest water in Illinois. The lake has a total of 1.4 miles of wooded shoreline, too. This Caribbean-like lake is located in Stephenson County just west of Route 73 on Lake Road, in Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Park. The park is six miles south of the Illinois-Wisconsin state line and three miles north of Lena, Illinois.

The Best Swimming in Illinois

Look at how clear this water is...

If you want to darn near see your feet in any depth of water, Lake Le-Aqua-Na is your new favorite swimming hole. The park also offers multi-use trails, picnic areas, and RV, tent, equestrian, and youth group campgrounds.

Where Does the Word Le-Aqua-Na Come From

The Stephenson County Sportmans Club held a naming contest and Le-Aqua-Na comes from a combination of the town of Lena and the Latin word for water, aqua.

You'll leave Lake Le-Aqua-Na State Recreation Area with great memories, and the best one will be that you were always aware of what swam between your legs.

[H/T Only In Your State]