Lake Carina Forest Preserve — Attraction in Gurnee

This lake park (481-acres) is a great getaway in Gurnee that is very close to a lot of residential communities. The park is open daily from 6:30 am till sunset. There is a main gate which I suppose is closed and locked at park closing.

Lake Carina offers trails, a wheelchair accessible fishing pier, toilets and parking at its main entrance on Milwaukee Avenue. Anglers can fish from the pier or from shore. There is no launch at this main preserve entrance.

A second entrance to the north near Grand Avenue provides access to the Des Plaines River Trail and a canoe launch along the river.

The lake (23-acres , max depth of 23 feet) is surrounded by woodlands and open fields. The preserve also features a pond, wetlands and a stream named Stoneroller Creek.

The lake is a stocked by the state and is a former gravel pit which contains bluegill, northern pike, largemouth bass, perch and white crappie.

However, I have read that the L.C.F.P. does not allow flotation devices, boats, ice-fishing or night fishing on Lake Carina.

A 1-mile mowed grass trail encircles the lake and is ideal for hiking and nature observation, and cross-country skiing.

Part of the trail is right next to US-94 and there are some high-power electric cal transmission lines which slightly distracts from an idea situation (only nature sights & sounds).

Also, no ice-skating (when...

Edited: 2-26-23 It has gotten cleaner, now only a handful of beer cans and trash along the bank of the lake opposite the parking lot. However, finding a 9MM SHELL CASING TODAY really takes the cake. My message to the non-gun law-abiding beer can littering degenerates that visit this forest preserve, go to Chicago! Go anywhere else! Just stay out of lake county and Wisconsin. Maybe just keep to your own backyard. Throw all the beer cans you want back there.

Lake County does a fantastic job with their preserves but this is my least favorite. There is always trash here and never at the other forest preserves so I'm blaming the people that go there, since it's not the rangers job to babysit and clean up after adults. There are plenty of trash bins that people can put their booze bottles in but they just don't. Fishing trash, bottles, all sorts of garbage there. The actual trail surface is nice, short, about a mile. It's very loud because it's right up against the tollway so if you want quiet and fresh air, find another preserve. Usually people fishing but I've never seen anyone catch anything. Water is very clean. Too bad everything...

It is a beautiful park on rt.21 off of 94, so its a bit noisy, but the nature trail is nice and small, with a couple hidden trails closer to the lake and the Des Plaines river. Couple fisherman here and there. Really small fish there, but if youre into catching and letting go with the little ones, this is the place for it. If youre a runner, this park is really not for us, but definitely a park to bring a significant other or your little furry buddy to take a walk and enjoy nature.

Also, I love that its one of the cleanest parks I visit, so please keep it that way...... another thing, i headed south west off the trail and accidentally ended up in someones backyard, be careful out there and dont get shot or have the dogs chew your ass up. Stay close to Des Plaines river. The coyotes I have spotted are far south...