Highest elevation lakes & reservoirs in Washington 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 58 articles we have published for Washington lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US West Region > Washington > Compared by highest altitude/elevation in feet. This list does not represent all lakes in Washington, only the 58 Washington lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Elevation in feet |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Enchantment Lakes (North Central Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
7,000 ft | Also known as Sprite Lake, Leprechaun Lake, Lake Viviane, Isolation Lake, Talisman Lake, Brisengamen Lakelets, Lake Brynhild, Lake Freya, Lake Rune. Crystal Lake, Shield Lake, Mesa Lake, Earle Lakes The Enchantment Lakes are very different from the type of lake most people envision when thinking of lakefront vacations. There are no boats, no swimm … |
| Silver Lake Cowlitz County, WA (Southwest Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
2,000 ft | Silver Lake is a shallow 3,000-acre wetland lake located in southwest Washington. Formed by an early eruption of Mount St. Helens, which permanently d … |
| Alder Lake (Southwest Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
1,207 ft | Also known as Alder Reservoir Vacationers planning to visit Mount Rainer need to fit beautiful Alder Lake into their plans. This reservoir in the Southwest Region of Washington off … |
| Lake Chelan, WA (North Central Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
1,100 ft | From the Salish Indian word for “deep notch”, Lake Chelan is the third deepest lake in the United States with a maximum depth of almost 1500 feet. Lak … |
| Moses Lake, WA (North Central Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
1,048 ft | Located where Washington State’s Pacific coast transforms into the arid desert of the eastern half, Moses Lake has over 6,800 acres of surface area en … |
| Lake Osoyoos, WA / Canada (British Columbia, Canada, Canada, North Central Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
913 ft | Also known as Osoyoos Lake Lake Osoyoos spans more than 5,700 acres and straddles the border of British Columbia, Canada and Washington state in the United States. The Okanagan … |
| Lake Entiat, WA (North Central Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
710 ft | Also known as Rocky Reach Reservoir No trip to the north central part of Washington would be complete without a visit to Lake Entiat and the Rocky Reach Dam. Lake Entiat is a 9,100 acre … |
| Lake Tapps (Seattle & Puget Sound Region, WA, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
543 ft | Also known as Tapps Reservoir Located in the populous Seattle and Puget Sound Region of Washington, Lake Tapps delivers water supply, recreation and sound fish ecology to residents … |
| Mayfield Lake (Seattle & Puget Sound Region, WA, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
425 ft | Mayfield Lake is cradled in the foothills of the Cascades in Lewis County, Washington. This 2,200-acre reservoir is conveniently located close to Moun … |
| Whatcom Lake, WA (Northwest Washington & Islands, WA, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
315 ft | Also known as Lake Whatcom Whatcom Lake is a 5,000-acre natural lake surrounded by mountainous terrain located in Whatcom County, Washington. Whatcom is from a Nooksack Indian w … |
| Lake Ozette, WA (Olympic Peninsula & Pacific Coast Region, WA, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
42 ft | Also known as Ozette Lake Nestled in dense forest just a few miles from the Pacific Coast, Lake Ozette sits snuggled into Washington’s Olympic Peninsula tourism region, on the … |