Highest elevation lakes & reservoirs in 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 2151 articles we have published for lakes.
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Below are lakes within Compared by highest altitude/elevation in feet. This list does not represent all lakes in , only the 2151 lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Elevation in feet |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Ellsworth, OK (Great Plains Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
96 ft | Lake Ellsworth is a 5,600-acre reservoir nestled in the Great Plains region of Southwest Oklahoma. The City of Lawton completed Ellsworth Dam in 1962, … |
| Eagle Lake, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
92 ft | Eagle Lake, located in Lassen County about 15 miles north of Susanville, California, is one of the largest natural lakes within the state boundaries. … |
| Beaver Dam Lake, WI (Southern Savanna Region, WI, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
88 ft | Surrounded by south-central Wisconsin farmland, Beaver Dam Lake on the Beaver Dam River is a beautiful rural getaway. Conveniently located 40 miles no … |
| Gatun Lake, Panama (Colon Province Region, Panama, Panama) |
87 ft | Also known as Lake Gatun, Lago Gatun Gatun Lake, in the Colon Province of the Republic of Panama, constitutes nearly half of the Panama Canal waterway. Created by damming the Chagres Rive … |
| 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 … |
| Felsenthal Lock and Dam, AR/LA (Arkansas, Louisiana, Sportsman's Paradise Region, LA, Timberlands Region, AR, US South Region, USA) |
70 ft | Also known as Lack Jack Lee The Felsenthal Lock and Dam, also known as Lake Jack Lee, is located in South Central Arkansas at the confluence of the Ouachita and Saline Rivers. A … |
| 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 … |
| Damariscotta Lake (Maine, Mid-Coast Region, ME, US New England Region, USA) |
59 ft | Damariscotta Lake is a sprawling lake in Lincoln County, Maine. This freshwater lake covers 4,381 acres in surface area and is a mere 51 feet above se … |
| 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 … |