Largest lakes & reservoirs in South Dakota 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 11 articles we have published for South Dakota lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > South Dakota > Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in South Dakota, only the 11 South Dakota lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Surface area in acres |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Oahe, ND/SD (Great Lakes Region, SD, North Dakota, South Central Region, ND, South Dakota, Southwest Region, ND, US Midwest Region, USA) |
206,100 ac | Lake Oahe, named after an Oahe Indian Mission, roughly translates “a foundation” or “a place to stand on.” Spanning 231 miles from Pierre, South Dakot … |
| Lake Francis Case, SD (Great Lakes Region, SD, South Dakota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
95,000 ac | Lake Francis Case, one of the most popular recreation spots in the Great Plains, is located along the Missouri River in south-central South Dakota. La … |
| Lake Sharpe, SD (Great Lakes Region, SD, South Dakota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
56,884 ac | Lake Sharpe, located on South Dakota Highways 50 and 47 near Chamberlain, and Reliance, is one of the four reservoirs constructed along the Missouri R … |
| Lewis and Clark Lake, NE/SD (Lewis and Clark Region, NE, Nebraska, South Dakota, Southeast Region, SD, US Midwest Region, USA) |
28,000 ac | Stretching 25 miles long and straddling the Nebraska and South Dakota border, 28,000-acre Lewis and Clark Lake is the smallest of the Missouri River r … |
| Waubay Chain of Lakes (Glacial Lakes & Prairies Region, SD, South Dakota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
15,540 ac | Also known as North Waubay Lake, South Waubay Lake, Hillebrands Lake, Spring Lake, Rush Lake, Bluedog Lake, Little Rush Lake, Minnewasta Lake Waubay Chain of Lakes, in the Glacial Lakes & Prairies Region of northeast South Dakota, is a stunning example of nature’s triumph over human settleme … |
| Big Stone Lake, MN/SD (Central Minnesota, Glacial Lakes & Prairies Region, SD, Minnesota, South Dakota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
12,360 ac | Big Stone Lake’s sparkling blue water covers 12,360 acres and forms the border between western Minnesota and northeastern South Dakota. This picturesq … |
| Lake Traverse, MN/SD (Central Minnesota, Glacial Lakes & Prairies Region, SD, Minnesota, South Dakota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
11,200 ac | Lake Traverse straddles the border of Minnesota’s Central tourism region and South Dakota’s northeastern Great Lakes and Prairie region. Covering more … |
| Angostura Reservoir, SD (Black Hills, Badlands & Lakes Region, SD, South Dakota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
4,706 ac | Also known as Angostura Recreation Area, Lake Angostura, Angostura Lake At the fringes of the unique Black Hills, or Paha Sapa in the Lakota language, is the Angostura Reservoir. Part of the Black Hills and Badlands wester … |
| Richmond Lake (Glacial Lakes & Prairies Region, SD, South Dakota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
840 ac | Also known as Richmond Reservoir Richmond Lake turned 75 years old in 2012. Built near Aberdeen during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression of the 1930s, Richmond Lake was one of 657 la … |
| Marindahl Lake, SD (South Dakota, Southeast Region, SD, US Midwest Region, USA) |
139 ac | Also known as Marindahl Reservoir Marindahl Lake, in South Dakotas’s Southeast Region, isn’t the kind of lake you’ll find on lists of the world’s greatest lakes. Indeed, you may not be … |
| Lakes of Custer State Park (Black Hills, Badlands & Lakes Region, SD, South Dakota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
120 ac | Also known as Stockade Lake, Bismarck Lake, Legion Lake, Sylvan Lake, Center Lake Recreational travelers in South Dakota’s Black Hills, Badlands and Lakes Region will find the vacationland of their dreams among the five lakes dotted … |