Elizabeth Lake Nature Preserve

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Parks

Illinois

Nearby: Lance Park Lyle C. Thomas Memorial Park & Landing

Last Updated: December 5, 2025

Elizabeth Lake Nature Preserve is a 35-acre park located in Lake County, Illinois.

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Summary

It features a 1.5-mile hiking trail that loops around the lake, offering visitors the opportunity to see a variety of wildlife, including birds, turtles, and fish. The park also has a picnic area, playground, and a fishing pier.

One of the main reasons to visit Elizabeth Lake Nature Preserve is for its peaceful and serene atmosphere. The park is a great place to escape from the hustle and bustle of city life and enjoy some time in nature. It is also a popular spot for birdwatching, with over 100 species of birds observed in the area.

Specific points of interest in the park include the lake itself, which is home to a variety of fish species. Visitors can also see a variety of tree species, including oak, hickory, and maple. The park is also home to a variety of wildflowers, which bloom throughout the spring and summer months.

Interesting facts about Elizabeth Lake Nature Preserve include the fact that it was once a gravel quarry before being turned into a natural park. The park is also part of the Des Plaines River Watershed, which provides drinking water to over 3 million people in the Chicago area.

The best time of year to visit Elizabeth Lake Nature Preserve is in the spring and summer months, when the weather is mild and the wildflowers are in bloom. The park is open year-round, however, and visitors can enjoy the changing colors of the leaves in the fall and the snow-covered landscape in the winter.

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Park & Land Designation Reference

National Park
Large protected natural areas managed by the federal government to preserve significant landscapes, ecosystems, and cultural resources; recreation is allowed but conservation is the priority.
State Park
Public natural or recreational areas managed by a state government, typically smaller than national parks and focused on regional natural features, recreation, and education.
Local Park
Community-level parks managed by cities or counties, emphasizing recreation, playgrounds, sports, and green space close to populated areas.
Wilderness Area
The highest level of land protection in the U.S.; designated areas where nature is left essentially untouched, with no roads, structures, or motorized access permitted.
National Recreation Area
Areas set aside primarily for outdoor recreation (boating, hiking, fishing), often around reservoirs, rivers, or scenic landscapes; may allow more development.
National Conservation Area (BLM)
BLM-managed areas with special ecological, cultural, or scientific value; more protection than typical BLM land but less strict than Wilderness Areas.
State Forest
State-managed forests focused on habitat, watershed, recreation, and sustainable timber harvest.
National Forest
Federally managed lands focused on multiple use—recreation, wildlife habitat, watershed protection, and resource extraction (like timber)—unlike the stricter protections of national parks.
Wilderness
A protected area set aside to conserve specific resources—such as wildlife, habitats, or scientific features—with regulations varying widely depending on the managing agency and purpose.
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Land
Vast federal lands managed for mixed use—recreation, grazing, mining, conservation—with fewer restrictions than national parks or forests.

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