Illinois Most ‘Magical’ Lake Isn’t One You’d Likely Ever Think Of

What makes a lake 'magical'? I am guessing the answer would be different for just about everyone. There is one lake in Illinois that was given the honor of being named "the most magical" and it's probably one you'd never ever think of, but maybe should.

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I will admit that I'm kind of late to the party on something that Only In Your State dropped last summer. It's what they describe as "There's Something Magical About These 13 Illinois Lakes In The Summer". What's number one on their "magical" list? This one.

It's Kincaid Lake in southern Illinois. That Shawnee National Forest part of the state is mighty pretty I'll admit.

Kincaid Lake is not far from the Mississippi River south of St. Louis obviously on the Illinois side.

The Illinois Department of Resources describes how Kincaid Lake came into being saying "built in 1968, the lake encompasses 2,750 acres." But, is it magical? The fact that it includes "sandstone bluff formations to rolling hills surrounding the lake where oaks and hickories" probably makes that an accurate adjective.

If you have a southern Illinois adventure planned in 2024, you could do a lot worse than making Kincaid Lake a part of those plans. It might be the most 'magical' part of Illinois.