Whalon Lake was once a quarry and is now a lake open to the public. Located in Bolingbrook, Illinois, it offers many activities like fishing, kayaking,^[2] walking, and biking. The lake is currently owned and operated by the Forest Preserve District of Will County.^[3]

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Whalon Lake
Whalon Lake Show map of Illinois Whalon Lake Show map of the United States
Location	Royce Road, west of Route 53/Bolingbrook Drive in Bolingbrook, Illinois
Coordinates	41°42′58″N 88°05′35″W
Type	Reservoir[1]
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	81 acres (33 ha)
Average depth	15 ft (4.6 m)
Shore length1	1.5 mi (2.4 km)
Surface elevation	640 ft (200 m)[1]
Islands	2
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

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Located among wetlands^[4] near the DuPage River,^[5] the lake covers an area of about 81 acres (33 ha), has an average depth of 15 ft (4.6 m), and a shoreline length of 1.5 mi (2.4 km).^[6] The preserve occupies 266 acres (108 ha).^[5]

This site was surface-mined by Elmhurst-Chicago Stone for sand, gravel and limestone for nearly 50 years.

The property was purchased in the 1990s by the Forest Preserve District of Will County. Following the completion of a site development project, the lake was allowed to fully impound.^[6]

In 2004, plans were made to construct a dog park at Whalon Lake.^[7] By 2006, the dog park was open to the public;^[8] it comprises 8 acres (3.2 ha), with 2.5 acres (1.0 ha) set aside for small dogs.^[5] At that time the forest preserve, still under construction, was expected to be "one of Will County's biggest gems".^[9]

Whalon Lake used to be a quarry and after being converted to a lake, it has been open to the public since 2008.^[10]

The lake is a part of The Forest Preserve District of Will County which owns and manages land in 70 forest preserves, including 10 designated as Illinois Nature Preserves for their rare natural features. The Whalon Lake property was purchased through voter supported referendums. Prior to the impoundment of Whalon Lake, three large overflow pipes with which the quarry was fitted were specified to contain valves to prevent the ingress of fish from the nearby DuPage River, although this was never completed.^[6]

The shoreline length is approximately 1.5 miles (2.4 km), excluding the two islands located in the southeast portion of the impoundment. Includes both natural and man-made habitats. The entire shoreline is accessible to bank fishing and a barrier-free fishing pier facilitates access for anglers with special needs.

Whalon Lake has a two-lane concrete boat ramp and boats are restricted to utilizing electric trolling motors only