Lake Park

Lake Park

Lake Park is a stunning 76 acre space, on the west side of Lee Street, between Touhy Avenue on the south and Howard Avenue on the north. Map and directions

Lake Opeka

The featured attraction this park provides a place for area residents to go fishing, sailing, and boating close to home. Here, you can relax and enjoy a natural setting, watch local wildlife, and walk the path along the shoreline.
Lake Opeka has a particularly interesting history, which you can read about here, and at the Des Plaines History Center.

Lake Park Golf Course

An 18-hole, par-3 short course, perfect for beginner and intermediate golfers, and an excellent course for golfers of all skill levels to practice their all important short game. The course is always beautifully maintained, with well-kept greens, strategically placed bunkers, and Lake Opeka as a picturesque backdrop. The clubhouse is at 1015 Howard Avenue. Read more… 

Lake Park Marina • Sailing and Boating

On the north end of the lake, the popular marina has both wet and dry moorings for local boat owners. Boating season is April 1 to October 31 (always weather dependent), and we offer annual and daily launch fees. The marina is home to the Des Plaines Yacht Club, which hosts regattas throughout the summer on Wednesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. The Park District sponsors a Labor Day Regatta each year. Sailing lessons are available every summer, for beginner and intermediate sailors.

Paddle Boat Rental

Cruise around Lake Opeka, along the golf course, past the volleyball courts, Optimist Club Picnic Shelter and the Lake Park Memorial Pavilion. It’s a view of the park you’re sure to enjoy, including the beautiful fishing pier in North Lake Park as you head back to the marina. Paddle Boat rentals are handled in the clubhouse, adjacent to the marina. For information, call 847-391-5730.
Paddle Boats, Swan Boats, Kayaks.
Current Rental Rates: www.dpparks.org/parks-facilities/boat-rental-fees/
Residents of Des Plaines and Park Ridge receive a $2 discount.
Group rates are available.

Fishing

The lake is well-stocked with large mouth bass, bluegill, white crappie, northern pike, and channel catfish. Fishing is allowed year-round from 6am–dusk. Cook County and State of Illinois licensing requirements apply. For the health of the lake, and to respect your fellow fishermen, please follow all posted fishing rules. See the Size and Creel Limit Rules.

Lake Park Memorial Pavilion

In the center of the park, at 2200 Lee Street, is the beautiful and moving memorial honoring the men and women of Des Plaines who have served our country in the armed forces from the Civil War to the present day. The Pavilion is the site of a number of important events throughout the year, including the annual Memorial Day services, our Live at the Lake summer entertainment series, Concert Band performances, the popular summer Movies in the Park and the main stage for our annual Fall Fest every September. Map and directions.

Lake Park Picnic Shelters

The Lake Park Picnic Shelters are free to use, however, rentals always take precedence. Park District staff posts reservation information at the shelter. Please be courteous and respect the rights of groups that have reserved a shelter. Rental information and forms. 

The South Picnic Shelter, donated by the Optimist Club of Des Plaines, is south of the Memorial Pavilion on Lee Street. The North Picnic Shelter is near Howard Avenue.

North Lake Park area

The North Lake Park area was made possible by the purchase of the land at Lee Street and Howard Avenue from Good Shepherd Church in 2007. The purchase was funded in part by a OSLAD grant. Read more about OSLAD grants.

The decision to sell the property to the Park District was a significant contribution by the church congregation to the recreational and green space in Des Plaines, and made it possible to connect the new north park area with the whole of Lake Park.  Plans for development of the area were created by the Park District, and then reviewed by the public throughout 2009 and 2010. Construction was started in the spring of 2011 and most of the work was completed in late fall. The grand opening ceremony for North Lake Park was on June 2, 2012.

The area features a fishing pier that overlooks Lake Opeka, a new picnic shelter and gazebo, native plantings and sensory garden, open space, family play area with bocce ball and bags courts, interpretive signage, walking/bicycling path, water fountains, and a cooling spray.

Bocce Ball Rules: Click Here.
Interpretive Signage: Click Here.

Flight 191 Memorial

Dedicated on October 15, 2011, more than 30 years after the event, the Flight 191 Memorial provides a peaceful place for family and friends to remember those lost in the crash. Through the extraordinary efforts of the students, teachers, and administrators at Chicago’s Decatur Classical School, the memorial was built at 1200 Touhy Avenue, at Lee Street, on the southeast corner of Lake Park. Read more…

Administrative & Leisure Center2222 Birch Street • 847-391-5700

Golf Center Des Plaines353 N. River Road • 847-803-GOLF

Lake Park Golf Course & Marina1015 Howard Avenue • 847-391-5730

Mountain View Adventure Center510 E. Algonquin Road • 847-391-5733

Mystic Waters2025 Miner Street • 847-391-5740

Prairie Lakes Aquatic Center515 E. Thacker Street • 847-390-4949

Prairie Lakes Community Center515 E. Thacker Street • 847-391-5711