Guide to the 26 Lakes of Lake Geneva and the Southern Lakes Region

Everyone knows Geneva Lake. Fewer visitors realize they’re sitting in the middle of one of the densest clusters of good lakes in the Midwest. Within about 30 minutes of downtown Lake Geneva there are 26 of them, from a 5,262-acre showpiece to spring-fed kettle lakes you’ve never heard of.

This is the visitor’s guide to all 26: how big, how deep, where to swim, where to launch, and which town sits on the shore. If you’re here to fish, we wrote a separate guide for you. Jump to The Fishing Guide to Lake Geneva and the Southern Lakes Region.

A note on access, because it matters. Some of these lakes are ringed by homes with no public beach and a residents-only launch. Others allow carry-in boats and electric motors only. We say so plainly for each one. Wisconsin’s Public Trust Doctrine means the water itself is always public, but getting to it isn’t always easy, and we’d rather tell you that than send you to a locked gate.

Here’s the thing about reading this list. Half the people who do end up doing drive-time math in the car on the way home. The lakes around here have been turning Chicago weekends into Wisconsin addresses for 150 years. When the daydream starts, we’re who you call. Kim and Joel Reyenga, eXp Realty.

What counts as the Southern Lakes Region

The Southern Lakes Region is the cluster of glacial lakes inside roughly 21 miles of downtown Lake Geneva, spread across 5 Wisconsin counties: Walworth, Kenosha, Racine, Waukesha, and Jefferson.

The same ice cut all of them, and it left wildly different water. The Kettle Moraine holds deep spring-fed basins like Geneva Lake at 135 feet and shallow warm ones like Honey Lake at 6 feet, sometimes within a few miles of each other. Surface area runs from 5,262 acres down to 40. That spread is why a weekend here can mean a sailboat on Saturday and a kayak on Sunday, and why the fishing changes completely from one launch to the next.

Physical figures below come from Wisconsin DNR lake data, current as of August 2026.

At a glance: all 26 lakes

Distance is straight-line miles from downtown Lake Geneva. Add time for county roads.

The Geneva Lake core

Geneva Lake

The big one, and the reason everyone comes. 5,262 acres, 135 feet deep, spring-fed and clear, with the 21-mile Shore Path circling the whole thing past 150 years of Chicago estates. Four public beaches: Riviera downtown, Fontana on the west end, Williams Bay on the north shore, and Big Foot Beach State Park on the east. Boat and pontoon rentals from Marina Bay, Elmer’s, Gordy’s, and Jerry’s. The Mailboat and Black Point tours run all summer. This is the lake you build a weekend around, or a life. More in our guide to the best things to do in Lake Geneva.

Towns on the shore: Lake Geneva, Williams Bay, Fontana.

Lake Como

The quiet neighbor, 955 acres just northwest of Lake Geneva. Shallow at 9 feet and weedy, so it warms early and fishes well for panfish and bass. Plan on a kayak or a quiet electric-motor afternoon rather than a swimming beach. Town ramps on the northeast and south shores. Mostly residential, with Geneva National golf right next door.

Nearest town: Lake Geneva.

The Delavan lakes

Delavan Lake

The second showpiece, 1,906 acres and 52 feet deep, 15 minutes west of Lake Geneva. Clear water, a real resort scene anchored by Lake Lawn Resort, and a good public access site with parking on the northeast shore. Boat rental, bait, a marina with gas, and the Lake Lawn Queen tour boat that cruises past 5 Frank Lloyd Wright homes. If Geneva Lake is booked solid on a July Saturday, Delavan is the move.

Nearest town: Delavan.

Turtle Lake

A 141-acre spring-fed lake at 30 feet deep, just southwest of Delavan, and more visitor-friendly than its quiet reputation suggests. There’s a public boat landing on the north shore, and two lakefront spots turn it into a real Saturday. Turtle Lake Tap and Grill on the east shore has a sandy beach, swimming, and sunset views you can reach by car or by boat. Snug Harbor Campground and Restaurant on the north shore has a clean swimming beach and a full restaurant. Good panfish, largemouth, pike, and catfish. A genuine find.

Nearest town: Delavan.

The Elkhorn and Lauderdale lakes

Lauderdale Lakes

A spring-fed chain of 3 connected lakes, Green, Middle, and Mill, totaling 841 acres and 57 feet deep, northwest of Elkhorn. Clear, deep, and cottage-lined, with a long tradition of summer weekenders who’ve been coming for generations. Public ramps on the southwest end of Green Lake and the west shore of Mill Lake, plus a marina and food. The Southern Wakes United ski team puts on free shows here in summer. More residential than touristy, and the water quality shows it.

Nearest town: Elkhorn.

Pleasant Lake

A small, clear spring lake at 145 acres and 29 feet, east of Elkhorn, with a speed limit that keeps it calm. There’s a public ramp on the west side and a park with picnic tables and toilets. Scout camps sit on the shore. A paddle-and-panfish lake, quiet by design. Lives up to the name.

Nearest town: Elkhorn.

Lake Wandawega

The character of the bunch. 120 acres and only 8 feet deep, with a public boat landing off Highway 67. The draw here isn’t the fishing. It’s Camp Wandawega, a rustic 1925 resort on the National Register of Historic Places with a past that runs through speakeasies, a brothel, and a Latvian priests’ retreat before its current life as a beloved cabins-and-treehouse getaway for weddings and weekends. There’s nothing else like it on any of these lakes.

Nearest town: Elkhorn.

North Lake

A 255-acre lake at 11 feet deep, west of Elkhorn near the Lauderdale chain and Lake Lorraine. Shallow, weedy, and mucky-bottomed, with a public boat landing and a fishery built around panfish, largemouth, and pike. Curly-leaf pondweed and Eurasian water-milfoil are both present, so clean and drain before you leave. Almost entirely residential and rarely crowded.

Nearest town: Elkhorn.

Lake Lorraine

A 155-acre lake at 8 feet deep between Elkhorn and Whitewater, in the Town of Richmond. There’s a public boat landing and a small lakeside community of about 340 residents. Shallow and low-clarity with a muck bottom, which makes it a spring crappie lake and an ice-fishing lake rather than a swimming lake. Quiet, and set among some of the prettiest farm country in the region.

Nearest town: Whitewater.

The East Troy and Mukwonago lakes

Lake Beulah

The biggest lake in the East Troy area, 812 acres and 58 feet deep, clear with about 8 feet of visibility. There’s a town landing on the southwest shore with a fee launch and handicap access, boat rental, and beverages nearby. A real boating lake with a strong residential ring and good fishing for bass, pike, and panfish. No public swimming beach, so come for the boat.

Nearest town: East Troy.

Booth Lake

A pretty 118-acre spring-fed lake at 24 feet deep just outside East Troy. Read this before you load the trailer, because Booth is semi-private. The launch at Booth Lake Memorial Park is open only to residents of the Town of Troy, the Town of East Troy, and the Village of East Troy, with proof of residency and a fee. Lovely lake, almost entirely residential, and not a casual visitor’s launch.

Nearest town: East Troy.

Potters Lake

A 155-acre seepage lake at 26 feet, southeast of East Troy, with a public launch on the southeast shore and no accommodations on the water. Quiet, residential, decent for largemouth, perch, and pike. A launch-and-go lake, but a calm one.

Nearest town: East Troy.

Phantom Lake

The Mukwonago lake, 483 acres across an upper and lower basin joined by a channel, running 29 feet at its deepest. The Village of Mukwonago runs a free municipal launch and fishing pier at Phantom Glen Park at the end of Andrews Street, plus an open shelter you can reserve. Phantom Lake YMCA Camp has been on this shore since 1896, which makes it the oldest continuously operating YMCA camp in North America. The lake district posts real rules, including counterclockwise ski traffic and a swimming ban in the channel between the basins, so read the sign at the launch.

Nearest towns: East Troy and Mukwonago.

Eagle Spring Lake

A 279-acre impoundment of the Mukwonago River at the southern edge of the Kettle Moraine, 8 feet at its deepest. The DNR runs a wide concrete launch with a large trailer lot, and it’s the only practical way onto hidden Lulu Lake, a 48-acre state natural area connected by a natural channel. That paddle is one of the better half-days in the region if you want water almost nobody else is on. Moderately clear, with panfish, largemouth, and pike.

Nearest towns: East Troy and Eagle.

The Whitewater and Kettle Moraine lakes

Whitewater Lake

The outdoor lake of the group, 625 acres and 35 feet deep, set inside the Kettle Moraine State Forest near Whitewater. This is the one with real public infrastructure: a state swimming beach open 6 a.m. to 11 p.m., a public boat launch, fishing piers, picnic areas, a playground, JNT’s Parkside Marina for rentals and gear, and the 63-site Whitewater Lake Campground a short walk away. Natureland Park and miles of the Ice Age Trail are right there. A state park sticker is required.

Nearest town: Whitewater.

Rice Lake

Whitewater Lake’s shallow neighbor inside the same Kettle Moraine recreation area: 144 acres but only 10 feet deep, with its own public boat landing and a playground. Weedy and warm, so it’s a fishing-and-wildlife lake rather than a swimming one, with the state beach right next door at Whitewater Lake. Panfish, largemouth, and northern pike. Worth a stop if you’re already camping.

Nearest town: Whitewater.

Blue Spring Lake

A 136-acre lake at 27 feet deep near Palmyra, on the northwest edge of the Kettle Moraine. The public ramp sits on South Shore Drive directly across from W1155. Backing in means about 265 feet from South Shore Drive down to the water, over a surface that runs from concrete panels to rubble. There is no parking at the access, which is a fire lane, so decide where the truck and trailer go before you leave home. The lake management district posts its own ordinances at the ramp, including counterclockwise traffic and set ski hours, and a shallow channel is marked with buoys. Panfish are abundant, with largemouth and pike present.

Nearest town: Whitewater.

Lower Spring Lake

A 105-acre lake at 11 feet, also near Palmyra, with a public boat landing and a public beach. Very shallow, muck-bottomed, and heavily weeded by late summer, which makes it better for paddling, panfish, and pike than for open water. Curly-leaf pondweed and Eurasian water-milfoil are both present. The DNR lists it simply as Spring Lake, so don’t be thrown when the sign doesn’t match your map.

Nearest town: Whitewater.

The Twin Lakes and the southern lakes

Lake Mary and Lake Elizabeth

The Village of Twin Lakes is built around these two: Lake Elizabeth at 725 acres and 32 feet, and Lake Mary at 327 acres and 33 feet. This is the most visitor-ready cluster south of Geneva Lake. Lance Park on Lake Mary has a beach, a boat launch, a fishing pier, and a waterfront amphitheater, and it hosts the free Twin Lakes Aquanuts water ski shows in summer. Lake Elizabeth has a marina with rental slips and Sunset Beach. Boat launches run March 1 through October 31. The village hosts Country Thunder every summer.

Nearest town: Twin Lakes and Genoa City.

Lily Lake

A small, deep-for-its-size lake at 85 acres and 22 feet, just west of the Twin Lakes in Kenosha County. It has an outsized reputation among bass anglers, and 4- and 5-pound largemouth come out of it. Public access is better than the size suggests, with a paved launch, a pier, and a swimming beach. Parking is the constraint. There are 2 car-and-trailer spaces on 76th Street and 4 car spaces on Lilly Lake Road, so arrive early on a summer weekend. The DNR spells it Lilly Lake, worth knowing when the road sign and your map disagree.

Nearest town: Twin Lakes and Genoa City.

Powers Lake

A clear 451-acre lake at 33 feet, with 10 to 15 feet of visibility, straddling the Walworth and Kenosha line near Genoa City. Public launch on the northeast shore off County F, with boat rental nearby. A genuine bass lake with a solid residential ring, clean water, and a good size for a day on a pontoon.

Nearest town: Twin Lakes and Genoa City.

Benedict Lake

A small, surprisingly deep lake near Genoa City: 76 acres and 37 feet at its deepest, just east of Powers Lake. Read this before you load the trailer, because there’s no public boat launch. The shoreline is residential, so the way onto this water is to own here or rent a lakefront place. Quiet and private, with panfish, largemouth, and pike for those who have access.

Nearest town: Twin Lakes and Genoa City.

The Burlington lakes

Browns Lake

The public-beach lake of the north end, 397 acres and 44 feet deep, in the Town of Burlington in Racine County. Einer Fischer County Park on the southeast shore has a public boat launch and a sandy swimming beach with lifeguards from Memorial Day through late August, a beach house, and picnic areas. There’s a small admission fee. If you’re staying near Burlington and want a real beach day, this is it.

Nearest town: Burlington.

Bohners Lake

A 135-acre lake at 30 feet deep near Burlington in Racine County, moderately clear and heavily ringed with homes. There’s a public boat landing on the north side off Lagoon Drive and a public swimming beach. Good fishing for panfish, largemouth, and northern pike, and easy water for a kayak or canoe. Smaller and quieter than Browns, with the public access a visitor needs.

Nearest town: Burlington.

Honey Lake

The most restricted lake on this list, and worth understanding before you drive out. Honey Lake is 40 acres and 6 feet deep in the Town of Spring Prairie, between Burlington and Elkhorn. The Honey Lake Protection and Rehabilitation District limits launching to carry-in access at designated posted sites, with no trailers, dollies, or other mechanical means. Boats get carried to the water by hand. Internal combustion engines are prohibited outright here and on neighboring Tahoe and Del Monte lakes, so electric trolling motors are the only motors allowed. That makes it kayak, canoe, paddleboard, and small-rowboat water by design, and a genuinely peaceful lake. Panfish, largemouth, pike, and catfish.

Nearest towns: Burlington and Elkhorn.

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