Published: August 22, 2008 07:51 pm            

Area lakes provide outdoor activities for the entire family

By KANDACE MCCOY

kandace.mccoy@register-news.com

Though school may be back in session for most students in the area, there are still options for parents seeking an inexpensive way to treat the family on weekends. And as summer continues to linger into the fall months, local lakes in the region offer a variety of campgrounds and lake access for the weekend daytripper.

Rend Lake, just a 15- minute drive from Mt. Vernon, offers picnic shelters, campgrounds, beaches and trails to the public. According to Dawn Kovarik, natural resource specialist with the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers St. Louis District which maintains the lake, Rend Lake is approximately 18,900 acres with nearly the same amount of acreage in land. Rend Lake was built primarily to provide ’a reliable source of drinking water to surrounding communities,’ information from Kovarik states. Construction of the lake was completed in 1971.

North Marcum and South Sandusky beaches offer visitors of all ages swimming access, with North Marcum located on the east side of Rend Lake just off Illinois Route 37, and South Sandusky located on the west side of the lake, off Rend City Road.

For boating enthusiasts, the Rend Lake Marina is located on Rend City Road with fishing and pontoon boat rental. Boat repair services, slip rentals, winter boat storage, bait and boat and personal watercraft sales and supplies are also available to the public.

And, with many families still getting together for reunions or weekend family outings, Rend Lake Has numerous picnic shelters located around the lake. Reservations are $25, but shelters that have not been reserved are available free of charge on a first-come, first-served basis.

To experience a touch of nature, Rend Lake Bike Trail, Blackberry Nature Trail, as well as the Wayne Fitzgerrell State Park Trail, offer scenic trailways. Maps of the trails, as well as other recreational information can be obtained at the Rend Lake Visitor Center, located at the east end of the Main Dam Road. A variety of exhibits, aquariums and other animal wildlife and wetland information is available as well.

In northwestern Wayne County, the Sam Dale Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area in Johnsonville also offers a variety of outdoor activities including camping, hiking, fishing, swimming and trails among others. Sam Dale Lake offers a 194-acre lake with eight and a half miles of shoreline to hike around, swim in or picnic around. Several smaller ponds near the lake also host fish and attract wildlife.

Initially, the park consisted of 40 acres, which was purchased in 1959, according to the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. Since then, additional land has been purchased, totaling 1,302 acres in the State Fish and Wildlife Area. The area was named for Sam O. Dale, who served eight terms as a state representative and also served as a teacher, principal and superintendent of schools in Hamilton County.

Hunting in the park is restricted to 930 acres, with hunters required to stop at the check station for permits. Shotgun or bow and arrow hunting is allowed, with deer hunting with bow and arrow only by permit.

Sam Dale Lake offers a variety of fish species including largemouth bass, bluegill, redear, crappie and channel catfish. The lake offers two launching ramps, boat docks, several floating fishing docks and rental boats.

For campers, Sam Dale offers two campgrounds for overnight camping with amenities that include electricity and sanitary dump stations, as well as a playground for children. There are also tent and group camping areas, as well as a handicapped pad in one campground.

Nature lovers can hike the 3.2-mile nature trail which winds through a wooded area in a circular pattern and skirts the lake. From the group campground, a 1.6- mile trail to the dam winds along the lake.

Swimming at Sam Dale is available on the west side of the lake with a beach and is open daily from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.. This is a ’swim at your own risk’ beach as no lifeguards are present. Swimmers under 17 must be accompanied by an adult.

Various picnic areas are available with tables, drinking fountains and outdoor stoves. There is also a concession stand nearby which offers sandwiches and cold drinks.

For more information about activities available at either of the lakes, you may contact the Rend Lake Project, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at 724-2493, or Sam Dale Lake at 835-2292.

        

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