Deepest lakes & reservoirs in California by maximum depth (ft)
The estimated greatest depth of the water in a lake can be measured at the lake’s normal elevation. If the water volume and surface area of a lake are known, an estimate of the lake’s average depth can be calculated:Water volume ÷ Surface Area = Average Depth
Example: 1,000,000 acre-feet ÷ 20,000 acres = 50 feet average depth.
You can find many of the the world’s deepest lakes on LakeLubbers. If you sort the list, you will find the (maximum depth of) the shallowest lakes in our database. Note: For some lakes, lake depth data is unknown, so this table may display 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 maximum depth in feet. This list does not represent all lakes in California, only the 75 California lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Max depth in feet | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Clear Lake, CA (California, North Coast Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
60 ft | Clear Lake’s spectacular 43,785 acres earn it the superlative of largest natural freshwater lake located entirely within the state of California. This … |
Lake of the Pines (California, Gold Country Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
60 ft | Also known as Main Lake, Entrance Pond, Huck Finn Pond, Hazel Lake Located in the foothills of northeastern California’s Sierra Nevada Mountains, Lake of the Pines is a 232-acre private lake surrounded by a gated comm … |
Salton Sea, CA (California, Desert Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
51 ft | 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 Alpine (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
40 ft | A lovely gem set among California’s High Sierra mountains, Lake Alpine beckons the outdoor fan looking for solitude. The lake is a reservoir created w … |
Lake Madrone, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
25 ft | Also known as Madrone Lake Lake Madrone might be small at just 25 acres, but it is anything but scant on looks. The lake is a phenomenal beauty surrounded by a gated mountain co … |
Kelly Lake, CA (Bay Area Region, CA, California, US West Region, USA) |
18 ft | Take a scenic 95-mile drive south of San Francisco and you will arrive at the exclusive Kelly Lake properties in the community of Watsonville. Kelly L … |
Lake Elsinore, CA (California, Inland Empire Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
14 ft | Cradled at the foot of the Ortega Mountains and at the entrance to the Cleveland National Forest, Lake Elsinore enjoys an ideal location. At about 3,3 … |
Santee Lakes (California, San Diego County, CA, US West Region, USA) |
10 ft | In arid San Diego County, seven interconnected lakes show just how attractive reclaimed water can be. The 190-acre Santee Lakes Regional Park celebrat … |
Tule Lake, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
4 ft | Tule Lake, located near the California/Oregon border, comprises about 13,240 acres of the Tule Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The Tule Lake Basin has … |