Highest elevation lakes & reservoirs in Florida by altitude
While lake levels can flucuate frequently based on several circumstances, the altitude/elevation of a lake is based on its normal water level, measured by the lake’s surface distance above sea level. For a reservoir, this water level is also known as “full pond” or “full pool”.Low lake levels can occur due to deliberate seasonal draw downs for irrigation or impending snow melt, reduced water inflows, drought and evaporation, residential or commercial water demands, and hydropower generation. Some lakes’ minimum and maximum elevations are virtually the same. Lakes that generate hydropower may vary by several feet – according to power demand. Lakes whose primary purpose is to prevent flooding can seasonally vary by 100 feet or more. When some lakes reach their minimum elevation, their boat ramps may not be long enough to permit boat access – and boats docked on shallow parts of the lake may end up on dry ground. In those cases, kayakers and shore-based anglers may be among the few happy recreational users of the lake.
A lake’s highest water level, measured by the lake’s surface distance above sea level, that can occur during flooding. A lake’s highest possible maximum elevation is usually the top of the lake’s dam or spillway. At lakes that include residential development, government regulations usually forbid the construction of homes below a lake’s maximum elevation.
You can find many of the world’s highest-elevated lakes on LakeLubbers. Lakes with the lowest elevations (known by LakeLubbers) are shown on the final page of that list. Note: For some lakes, "Altitude/Elevation" data is unknown, so this table may display fewer lakes than the total 81 articles we have published for Florida lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US South Region > Florida > Compared by highest altitude/elevation in feet. This list does not represent all lakes in Florida, only the 81 Florida lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Elevation in feet |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Eloise, FL (Florida, US South Region, USA, West Central Florida) |
133 ft | Also known as Winter Haven Chain of Lakes, Southern Chain Bald cypress trees dripping with Spanish moss reach out of the water near the shore of Lake Eloise. The cottage-dotted shoreline harkens back to a tim … |
| Lake Annie, FL (Florida, US South Region, USA, West Central Florida) |
118 ft | Located in central Florida, Lake Annie is 90 miles west of the Atlantic’s white sand beaches and 90 miles east of the Gulf of Mexico’s parks and resor … |
| Lake Jackson FL (Florida, Panhandle East Region, FL, US South Region, USA) |
96 ft | Also known as Jackson Lake Florida has many special lakes, but none is more unique than Lake Jackson in the Panhandle East region. The 4,500-acre lake is remarkable for trophy l … |
| Lake Huntley, FL (Florida, South Florida, US South Region, USA) |
85 ft | They are sipping tea, watching the sun set across beautiful Lake Huntley and counting their emerging lucky stars. They were looking for a place to sta … |
| Lake Apopka, FL (East Central Florida, Florida, US South Region, USA) |
69 ft | Sixty years ago Lake Apopka was a world class bass fishery. Fishing camps dotted the shore of the spring-fed central Florida lake in Orange and Lake C … |
| East Lake Tohopekaliga, FL (East Central Florida, Florida, US South Region, USA) |
69 ft | Also known as East Lake Toho East Lake Tohopekaliga, often called East Lake Toho for short, is located in central Florida south of Orlando. Covering a staggering 11,968 Florida ac … |
| Alligator Lake, FL (East Central Florida, Florida, US South Region, USA) |
66 ft | Sometimes referred to as the “Headwaters of the Everglades,” Alligator Lake in East Osceola County is part a chain of lakes in south-central Florida. … |
| Orange Lake, FL (Florida, North Florida, US South Region, USA) |
61 ft | Both wading birds and airboats are at home amongst the mats of floating aquatic plants on beautiful Orange Lake in Alachua County, Florida. With its a … |
| Lake Arbuckle (Florida, US South Region, USA, West Central Florida) |
56 ft | A rarity among West-Central Florida lakes, Lake Arbuckle is a natural lake without shoreline development. The lake is not dammed, with the only outflo … |
| Lake Tohopekaliga, FL (East Central Florida, Florida, US South Region, USA) |
55 ft | Also known as Lake Toho Lake Tohopekaliga is world renowned for its bass fishing and loved for its natural beauty. It is located in Osceola County, Florida, at the headwaters … |
| Lake Kissimmee, FL (East Central Florida, Florida, US South Region, USA, West Central Florida) |
53 ft | Lake Kissimmee’s massive 34,948 acre area earns the lake a spot as Florida’s third largest lake, finishing just behind Lake George and Lake Okeechobee … |
| Lake Hatchineha, FL (East Central Florida, Florida, US South Region, USA) |
53 ft | Lake Hatchineha, a 6,665-acre expanse in Osceola County, welcomes both tourists and residents to its beautiful central Florida shores. Lake Hatchineha … |