Largest lakes & reservoirs in High Sierra by acres
There is no widely-accepted minimum surface area that defines a lake. What LakeLubbers describes as a lake, you might call a pond. Acreage of a lake (or sometimes square kilometers) is most often measured at the top surface area when the lake is at normal elevation. The surface area can be considerably smaller or larger when lake levels are lower or higher than normal. North America’s Lake Superior is the world’s largest freshwater lake by this measure.The other measure of a lake’s size is the lake’s water volume. By that measure, the world’s largest freshwater lake is Lake Baikal in Siberia.
You can find many of the world’s largest lakes (acres) on LakeLubbers in the comparison table below. Note: For some lakes, "Largest Lakes - Acres" data is unknown or does not apply, so you may see fewer lakes than the total 22 articles we have published for High Sierra lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > West > California > High Sierra > Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in High Sierra, only the 22 High Sierra lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Surface area in acres |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Tahoe (California, High Sierra, Nevada, Renoe-Tahoe Territory, USA, West) |
122,000 ac | Tucked into the Sierra Nevada Mountains and straddling the California-Nevada state line, Lake Tahoe is one of the most famous lakes in the United Stat… |
| Mono Lake (California, High Sierra, USA, West) |
44,762 ac | Mono Lake, located in California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, has a long and rich history dating back to its formation over 760,000 years ago. S… |
| Lake Isabella (California, High Sierra, USA, West) |
11,200 ac | Also known as Isabella Reservoir Lake Isabella is an 11,200 acre reservoir in Kern County, California, about 35 miles northeast of Bakersfield. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers create… |
| Crowley Lake (California, High Sierra, USA, West) |
5,280 ac | Also known as Long Valley Reservoir, Lake Crowley Crowley Lake is known for excellent trout fishing in California’s High Sierras region. Before construction of the Long Valley Dam in 1941, few trout e… |
| Topaz Lake (California, High Sierra, Nevada, Renoe-Tahoe Territory, USA, West) |
2,410 ac | Also known as Topaz Reservoir Topaz Lake is a man-made reservoir located on the border of Nevada and California, about 75 miles south of Reno, Nevada. The reservoir was built on th… |
| Shaver Lake (California, High Sierra, USA, West) |
2,177 ac | Also known as Shaver Reservoir Sixty miles east of Fresno, hidden in the High Sierra Region, Shaver Lake is one of California’s favorite recreation destinations. There have been man… |
| Cherry Lake (California, High Sierra, USA, West) |
1,791 ac | Also known as Cherry Creek Reservoir Creation of Cherry Lake and the Tuolumne River watershed was a cooperative effort among the city and county of San Francisco, the Modesto and Turlock… |
| Huntington Lake (California, High Sierra, USA, West) |
1,435 ac | Huntington Lake is located high in the Sierra Mountain Range, just below the Alpine level, at 6,950 feet. The lake covers 1,435 acres and extends 4 mi… |
| Fallen Leaf Lake (California, High Sierra, USA, West) |
1,285 ac | Travelers who enjoy the splendor of Lake Tahoe might never be aware of the smaller but very beautiful Fallen Leaf Lake that is located just one mile s… |
| Bass Lake CA (California, High Sierra, USA, West) |
1,165 ac | Also known as Crane Valley Reservoir Snuggled into the heart of the Sierra National Forest and located at the southern entrance of Yosemite National Park, Bass Lake enjoys an ideal Califo… |
| Beardsley Lake (California, High Sierra, USA, West) |
720 ac | Also known as Beardsley Reservior, Beardsley Lake Reservoir Nearly 60 years ago, the effort to provide water to the orchards and farms in California’s Central Valley brought about the creation of beautiful Bear… |
| Donnells Reservoir (California, High Sierra, USA, West) |
425 ac | Also known as Donnells Lake, Donnell Lake Donnells Reservoir is one of the Central Sierra’s most picturesque lakes. Sometimes called Donnell Lake, it has its own dedicated viewing location and… |
