Largest lakes & reservoirs in California by acres
There is no widely-accepted minimum surface area that defines a lake. What LakeLubbers describes as a lake, you might call a pond. Acreage of a lake (or sometimes square kilometers) is most often measured at the top surface area when the lake is at normal elevation. The surface area can be considerably smaller or larger when lake levels are lower or higher than normal. North America’s Lake Superior is the world’s largest freshwater lake by this measure.The other measure of a lake’s size is the lake’s water volume. By that measure, the world’s largest freshwater lake is Lake Baikal in Siberia.
You can find many of the world’s largest lakes (acres) on LakeLubbers in the comparison table below. Note: For some lakes, "Largest Lakes - Acres" data is unknown or does not apply, so you may see fewer lakes than the total 75 articles we have published for California lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US West Region > California > Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in California, only the 75 California lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Surface area in acres |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Salton Sea, CA (California, Desert Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
240,640 ac | Also known as Salton Lake Salton Sea, sometimes called Salton Lake, is an inland saline lake located in southern California along the Mexican border. Though hard to believe, th … |
| Lake Tahoe, CA/NV (California, High Sierra Region, CA, Nevada, Renoe-Tahoe Territory, NV, US West Region, USA) |
122,000 ac | Tucked into the Sierra Nevada Mountains and straddling the California-Nevada state line, Lake Tahoe is one of the most famous lakes in the United Stat … |
| Mono Lake, CA (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
44,762 ac | Mono Lake, located in California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, has a long and rich history dating back to its formation over 760,000 years ago. S … |
| Clear Lake, CA (California, North Coast Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
43,785 ac | Clear Lake’s spectacular 43,785 acres earn it the superlative of largest natural freshwater lake located entirely within the state of California. This … |
| Shasta Lake, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
29,500 ac | Shasta Lake, one of the largest lakes in California, is an outdoor paradise of fresh blue water, awe-inspiring caverns, investigative trails, first cl … |
| Lake Almanor, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
28,257 ac | One of the largest artificial lakes in the state, Lake Almanor lays claim to approximately 28,000 acres of northeastern California. The lake was creat … |
| Clear Lake Reservoir, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
25,760 ac | Located in Modoc County, California near the Oregon border, Clear Lake Reservoir stands statuesque among the surrounding hills and plains. The origina … |
| Eagle Lake, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
24,000 ac | Eagle Lake, located in Lassen County about 15 miles north of Susanville, California, is one of the largest natural lakes within the state boundaries. … |
| Lake Havasu, AZ/CA (Arizona, California, Desert Region, CA, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, West Coast Region, AZ) |
20,400 ac | Lake Havasu’s 20,400 acres, formed behind Parker Dam on the Colorado River, is a boating paradise. Around Lake Havasu City, the most recognizable sigh … |
| Lake Berryessa, CA (California, Central Valley Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
20,000 ac | Lake Berryessa, nestled into the heart of California’s wine country, is the largest lake in Napa County. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation built the Mont … |
| Trinity Lake, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
17,280 ac | Also known as Clair Engle Lake In 1976 Tim Brady from Weaverville caught the California record smallmouth bass in Trinity Lake. The quiet lake still draws anglers today, both for th … |
| Lake Oroville, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
15,500 ac | Also known as Oroville Reservoir Lake Oroville, snuggled into the Sierra Nevada Foothills about 75 miles north of Sacramento, is one of northern California’s favorite playgrounds. Boa … |