Into the Wild

Busse Lake

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Cook County, IL

Whether a person wants a quick evening workout or an all-day fishing or paddling excursion, both the seasoned veteran and the total beginner will find that Busse Lake has much to offer. On a warm, sunny weekend, people in short recreational boats and long, glistening sea kayaks exchange friendly greetings while exploring the many bays and inlets surrounding the abundant islands of the lake.

Located just east of Woodfield Mall on Higgins Road, and sitting within Ned Brown Forest Preserve in northwest Cook County, 590-acre Busse Lake is the largest lake in the Cook County forest preserves. In 1978, the county created the lake by damming Salt Creek as part of a flood control program. As a result, some parts of the lake, especially near the dams and fishing walls, retain an “engineered” feel, but there are plenty of more natural places to investigate. The lake is managed for game fish, including largemouth bass, bluegill, bullhead, pike, walleye, crappie, and channel catfish.

Busse Lake divides itself roughly into three bodies of water. The 25-acre North Pool has two fishing walls for shore-based fishing. Both the 146-acre South Pool and the 419-acre Main Pool have boat launches with large parking areas. A paddler’s experience on the water will vary depending on the day and season. On those nice summer weekends, boat trailers fill the parking lots. But on an evening in early April, my brother and I discovered more solitude and tranquility. Thick woods buffered interstate traffic noise, allowing the two of us to paddle noiselessly while exploring secluded bays and marshes. Deep in a cattail-lined channel, a muskrat swam lazily in front of my boat, circled to look at me, and then disappeared under the water. Only the herons and geese shared the water with us. My brother reminded me that civilization wasn’t far off, though, commenting, “If we go much farther we will be in the Marshall Field’s parking lot.”

The lake and surrounding woods provide habitat for many types of hawks. A visitor might see a Cooper’s hawk or a migrating osprey, as well as swallows, frogs, and turtles along the shore. Each spring, the woodland floor is covered with wildflowers, including trout lilies, spring beauties, and red trilliums.

Paddlers can spend an entire day at Busse Lake — we took most of the morning to paddle just half of the Main Pool. Extend trips by paddling under the Higgins Road Bridge up into the shallow waters where Salt Creek enters the lake. During the high waters of spring or after heavy rains, this area offers many channels and bays to explore. Salt Creek enters the wetland area at the northernmost point and can be paddled as well.

Electric trolling motors are allowed, but no gas-powered motors. The main boating center rents canoes, paddleboats, and rowboats, April through October. Call (847) 228-5253 for details.

—David Rigby

Related Article:

Busse Forest Nature Preserve, Into the Wild, Spring 1999