Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area

By America's State Parks Editorial TeamFebruary 25, 2026 · Updated October 20, 2026

Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area is located in Fulton County, Illinois, and is managed by the Illinois Department of Natural Resources as a fish and wildlife area, not as part of Illinois’s state park system. The area covers 5,660 acres; the Illinois DNR made its first land purchase here in 1945.

Quick Facts

Things to Do

Rice Lake is a stop-over for migrating waterfowl, and the Illinois DNR describes thousands of ducks and geese on the lakes, with bald eagles roosting in the bottomland timber. Fifteen miles of shoreline and a paved boat ramp at the site office give you access for largemouth bass, bluegill, crappie and channel catfish. During waterfowl season the area is open to hunting with a daily draw for walk-in hunters, and archery deer hunting is also allowed. For overnight stays there are tent and trailer areas, 32 of them graveled sites with electric hookups, plus a shaded picnic area with drinking water and restrooms. Source: Illinois DNR, as of October 2026.

Best Time to Visit

From October 1 to April 1 only authorized boats may use the water, to limit disturbance of migrating waterfowl and endangered species. Water levels change with the seasons, so fishing can be limited at times, and the lake is drawn down each year to grow food for the birds. The DNR advises that many sites close fully or partly during hunting season and asks you to call the site office (309-647-9184) before you go (as of October 2026).

Visitor Tips

Rice Lake is an Illinois DNR state fish and wildlife area, managed for waterfowl, hunting and fishing rather than as a state park. Tent and trailer camping is available, and 32 of the sites are graveled with electric hookups.

Explore More Illinois State Parks

Looking for state parks in Illinois? Discover them in our Best State Parks in Illinois guide, or use our Park Finder to search by activity, location, or features.

Wildlife & Nature

Rice Lake State Fish and Wildlife Area — along the Illinois River in Fulton County — preserves a shallow, marsh-ringed lake that is one of the most important waterfowl areas in the Illinois River valley. The lake — once connected directly to the Illinois River and fed by its floods — supports the wild rice and aquatic vegetation that gives it its name. The marsh habitat attracts massive concentrations of migrating ducks — during peak fall migration, tens of thousands of mallards, pintails, and green-winged teal converge on the lake. American bitterns — secretive herons that freeze with bills pointed skyward to mimic marsh reeds — breed in the cattail marshes. Least bitterns and Virginia rails — rarely seen marsh birds — also nest here. Muskrats build lodges throughout the marsh.

Nearby Attractions

Canton — the Fulton County seat — has the Canton Area Heritage Center. Dickson Mounds Museum — one of the premier on-site archaeological museums in the US — interprets 12,000 years of human history in the Illinois River valley. Banner Marsh State Fish and Wildlife Area provides additional waterfowl recreation. Emiquon National Wildlife Refuge — a massive Illinois River floodplain restoration — is nearby. Lewistown has a historic courthouse. Spoon River Scenic Drive offers fall color tours through scenic valleys.

More parks in Illinois: Devils Island Wildlife Management Area and Spring Lake Fish and Wildlife Area. See the full Illinois state parks guide.

About the Author

America's State Parks Editorial Team

America's State Parks is an independent online guide to state parks and other public lands in the United States. Our editorial team compiles park profiles from official agency and operator sources and other identified references, and follows our published editorial policy and review methodology. Where a profile shows a source-check date, that date applies to the detail it names. We correct errors when we find them or when readers report them.

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