Minear Lake

Libertyville, Illinois · on Minear Lake

Verified · 4 independent sources · top-verified

WATER: lake
ACCESS: See details below
FEE: $150
SEASON: Best in summer

About Minear Lake

Minear Lake (marketed as 'Lake Minear Beach') is a real, natural spring-fed freshwater lake in Libertyville, Lake County, Illinois, with an active sandy swim beach at 600 W. Oak Spring Rd. It has operated as a member-supported, volunteer-run swimming and fishing club since 1957, staffed by Red Cross-trained lifeguards each summer, Memorial Day through Labor Day. Access is restricted to paying members and their guests rather than the general public, but it is unambiguously a genuine natural swimming hole, a spring-fed lake to swim in, not a fabricated or non-existent site.

A spring-fed natural lake off Oak Spring Road in a residential area roughly a mile from downtown Libertyville; the beach club occupies a portion of the shoreline while the rest of the lake is bordered mostly by private residential property. OSM mapping shows several small islands within the lake's boundary.

Swimming at Minear Lake

A designated sandy swim beach on the lake shore, staffed by Red Cross-trained lifeguards during the Memorial Day-Labor Day season; swimmers access the spring-fed water from the beach. Some listings reference a swim raft. Access is limited to Lake Minear Beach / Libertyville Boat Club members and their guests, not open to the drop-in public.

How to get to this swimming hole

600 W. Oak Spring Rd, Libertyville, IL 60048, off Oak Spring Road, about a mile from downtown Libertyville.

The walk in

No real hike here. The water is a short walk from where you park. Drive-up beach club property directly off Oak Spring Road; no trail or hike to the swim area. Exact walk distance from car to sand not published.

Plan your visit

Bringing kids

Good for kids

Designated sandy swim beach with Red Cross-trained lifeguards on duty during open hours; it's a calm lake beach (no waterfall/current/cliffs). No source specifies water depth or drop-off gradient at the swim area, so depth-based caution can't be confirmed either way.

Hours

Daily 10:00am-8:00pm, weather permitting, Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day; site notes reduced/weekday-closed hours during the final week of May before the season fully opens.

On the water

Restrictions: Swimming/lake access is membership-gated (Libertyville Boat Club / Lake Minear Beach), not open to the general public.

The official site's extended/fishing membership tier explicitly permits members to 'bring your own boat' for shore/lake fishing access, but does not specify boat type (motorized vs. paddle craft) or whether kayaks/canoes/paddleboards are permitted at the swim beach itself; left unconfirmed rather than guessed.

Backstory

Operating as a member-supported swimming beach since 1957; run as a volunteer, non-profit organization described as 'supported solely by its members' at no cost to taxpayers. A related site (lakeminearfoundation.org) references the lake's history dating to 1800s-era farmland surrounding the growing Libertyville community.

Minear Lake: FAQ

Does Minear Lake charge a fee?

Membership required for access; published tiers include a summer family membership (~$150 early-bird/$175 regular per visitlakecounty.org, or ~$275 for unlimited-season access per lakeminearbeach.com, pricing appears to vary by year/season), individual and senior discounts, and an additional ~$65 fishing-gate-key add-on for year-round sunup-to-sundown shore fishing access. No general public day-use fee is offered.

Is Minear Lake kid friendly?

Do I need to hike to reach Minear Lake?

No significant hike is required. The swimming area is close to parking and access.

Where do I park for Minear Lake?

Address is 600 W. Oak Spring Rd, Libertyville, IL, but no source (official site, county tourism listing, or local business directory) publishes parking lot details, cost, or capacity.

When is the best time to visit Minear Lake?

Summer (Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day) for swimming; fishing accessible year-round for fishing-membership holders.

What are the rules at Minear Lake?

Members-only access (with guests); Red Cross-certified lifeguards on duty during open beach hours; fishing limited to shore (no boats indicated); swim season runs Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day, with fishing-membership holders permitted year-round shore access.

What water body is Minear Lake on?

Minear Lake is on Minear Lake, a natural lake verified in USGS hydrography data.

Conditions right now

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Live data from the National Weather Service and USGS. Conditions at the water can differ, use your judgment.

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At a glance

Land access: Unknown, verify locally
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Nearby towns: Libertyville (1.2mi); Bushs Corners (1.7mi); Oak Grove (1.8mi); Rondout (1.9mi)
Coordinates: 42.2925, -87.9463