Fox Lake Hills
Fox Lake Hills is an association of nearly 775 homes and unimproved lots. We are nestled in the center of the Chain O’ Lakes region in unincorporated Lake Villa, Illinois.
Fox Lake Hills has three areas – Bayview, Chesney Shores, and Orchard Gardens. Within the association boundaries, there are four parks, a harbor, two boat launches, and a beach. You can read more about them HERE.
This area has a rich history dating back to the Native Americans from the Algonquin tribes, followed by early French trappers and traders. By the 1800s, the region was popular for hunting and fishing. When the railroad arrived, the area received a greater number of visitors and summer cottages sprung up along the waterway.
Over the years, the area evolved from a vacation center with summer shanties to small towns where people settled to raise families and to retire. Fox Lake Hills was among those communities that evolved during decades of discovery, and it remains a place for discoveries yet to be made.
With 15 interconnecting lakes, 45 miles of river, and over 7,100 acres of water, the area is a haven for all sorts of outdoor activities, including boating, water skiing, fishing, swimming, tubing, and kayaking. Winter brings snowmobiling, ice fishing, cross-country skiing, ice skating, and tobogganing.
Springtime and fall are just as filled with activity and not all of it along the water. Hikers and bikers have miles of trails to follow, some are suitable for families with strollers and for physically-challenged users. The quiet of the woods can offer solitude to the writer, while the nature of the savannas provides surprises to birdwatchers and photographers alike. Wildlife abounds throughout the area and can be found in some very surprising locations.
There are restaurants for every taste, music festivals, antique shops, car shows, historical museums, local theatre, and art shows. There’s never a lack of something to do, even if it’s doing nothing but soaking in some sun on the deck of a local restaurant while sipping a cold beverage and watching the boaters go by. And when the day comes to an end, there are the amazing sunsets.
All photographs are courtesy of Gary R. Braker