Largest lakes & reservoirs in Southwest Colorado 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 7 articles we have published for Southwest Colorado lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US West Region > Colorado > Southwest Colorado > Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in Southwest Colorado, only the 7 Southwest Colorado lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Surface area in acres |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Mesa Reservoir, CO (Colorado, Southwest Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
9,178 ac | 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 … |
| McPhee Reservoir, CO (Colorado, Southwest Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
4,470 ac | In 1776 Spanish priests traveling through the Dolores Valley imagined a project that would bring water to the thirsty crops of the Montezuma Valley. B … |
| Morrow Point Reservoir, CO (Colorado, Southwest Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
817 ac | Only something truly breathtaking and extraordinary would make it worth carrying a kayak down 232 steps. The steep, rocky cliffs meeting the clear blu … |
| Electra Lake, CO (Colorado, Southwest Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
800 ac | Also known as Cascade Reservoir The majestic peaks of the San Juan Mountains stand guard over the breathtaking beauty of southwestern Colorado’s Electra Lake. Found 25 miles north of … |
| Lake San Cristobal, CO (Colorado, Southwest Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
350 ac | Surrounded by ghost towns and a rich mining history and in the shadows of some of the tallest mountains in the county, Lake San Cristobal is a beautif … |
| Crystal Reservoir, CO (Colorado, Southwest Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
301 ac | In 1882 the Curecanti needle became the symbol for the Denver and Rio Grande Railroad. With its steep cliffs and rock formations, the area around Crys … |
| Lake Purgatory, CO (Colorado, Southwest Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
17 ac | Also known as Columbine Lake, Purgatory Lake Set in the middle of a winter wonderland, Lake Purgatory is a private, alpine lake found in beautiful southwestern Colorado. Property owners and their … |