Highest elevation lakes & reservoirs in USA 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 1644 articles we have published for USA lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > Compared by highest altitude/elevation in feet. This list does not represent all lakes in USA, only the 1644 USA lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Elevation in feet |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Waiau, HI (Big Island, Hawaii, Hawaii, US West Region, USA) |
13,020 ft | [Full Again: Lake Waiau nearly disappeared, in a shrinking process that extended from 2010 – 2015 with no clear explanation. As of September 2015, it … |
| Little Lakes Valley Trail Chain of Lakes (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
10,950 ft | Also known as Mack Lake, Marsh Lake, Heart Lake, Box Lake, Long Lake, Chickenfoot Lake, Lower Gem Lake, Upper Gem Lake The Little Lakes Valley Trail is an ‘easy’ trail, according to experienced hikers in California’s High Sierras. However, these beautiful lakes are loc … |
| Virginia Lakes Chain of Lakes (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
10,870 ft | Also known as Trumbull Lake, Red Lake, Bue Lake, Little Virginia Lake, Big Virginia Lake, Cooney Lake, Moat Lake, Frog Lakes Uncrowded and unspoiled are the perfect words to describe the nine Virginia Lakes. Strung along Virginia Creek in California’s High Sierras, most of t … |
| Lake Corpus Christi, TX (Gulf Coast Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
10,159 ft | Lake Corpus Christi in Texas’s Gulf Coast region is just miles away from the coastline and the big coastal city of Corpus Christi. It is an impoundmen … |
| Twin Lakes, CO (Colorado, South Central Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
9,200 ft | Also known as Twin Lakes Reservoir In the mid 1800’s gold was discovered in Lake County Colorado, and everything changed. Settlers moved west seeking their fortunes and discovered not o … |
| Independence Lakes (Idaho, South Central Idaho, US West Region, USA) |
9,180 ft | Independence Lakes in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest are at the end of one of south central Idaho’s most popular hiking trails in the Albion Mountai … |
| Lake Dillon, CO (Colorado, Northwest Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
9,017 ft | Also known as Dillon Reservoir Nestled in the middle of some of Summit County’s best skiing, Lake Dillon is the perfect year round getaway. With its rich history, fantastic sport fi … |
| Lake Granby, CO (Colorado, Front Range Region, CO, US West Region, USA) |
8,280 ft | Also known as Granby Lake Nestled in the shadows of the majestic Rocky Mountains near the headwaters of the Colorado River, Lake Granby is a great place for a mountain getaway. … |
| Green Mountain Reservoir (Colorado, Northwest Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
7,954 ft | Thousands of tourists and recreational guests come to the Colorado Rockies each year, never knowing that Green Mountain Reservoir is only a short dist … |
| Vallecito Lake, CO (Colorado, Southeast Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
7,669 ft | Also known as Vallecito Reservoir The quest for a reliable source of irrigation water in Colorado’s dry Southwest Region brought Vallecito Lake into being. Twenty-two miles north of Du … |
| Strawberry Reservoir, UT (Mountainland Region, UT, US West Region, USA, Utah) |
7,612 ft | Also known as The Berry Strawberry Reservoir, known locally as The Berry, is Utah’s most popular fishing spot. Located in Wasatch County, a convenient 65 miles east of the Wa … |
| Blue Mesa Reservoir, CO (Colorado, Southwest Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
7,519 ft | Also known as Blue Mesa Lake Beautiful mesas, deep canyons, and steep rocky cliffs surround Blue Mesa Reservoir, the second largest lake entirely in Colorado. The clear, blue, mou … |