Largest lakes & reservoirs in USA 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 1644 articles we have published for USA lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in USA, only the 1644 USA lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Surface area in acres | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Lake Mead, AZ/NV (Arizona, Las Vegas Territory, NV, Nevada, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, West Coast Region, AZ) |
157,900 ac | Lake Mead is the USA’s largest man-made reservoir in amount of water it can hold. Although Lake Powell is marginally larger in acreage at full-pond, L … |
Naknek Lake, AK (Alaska, Southwest Region, AK, US West Region, USA) |
154,880 ac | Naknek Lake is located southwest of Anchorage on the Alaskan Peninsula. The lake is the fifth largest in Alaska, covering 144,315 acres* in the heart … |
Finger Lakes (Finger Lakes Region, NY, New York, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
133,480 ac | The Finger Lakes Region of New York is one of the nation’s favorite recreation and vacation destinations. The series of eleven long, narrow lakes are … |
Mille Lacs Lake, MN (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
132,516 ac | Also known as Lake Mille Lacs August 2015 Update: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources issued an order August 2, 2015 banning walleye fishing for the rest of the season. T … |
Lake Winnebago, WI (Central Sands Prairie Region, WI, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
131,840 ac | American white pelicans skim across the surface of Lake Winnebago, fishing alongside the anglers below. Birds and fishermen alike flock to the beautif … |
Flathead Lake, MT (Glacier Country, MT, Montana, US West Region, USA) |
122,560 ac | Carved out by the historic glaciers of the last ice age approximately 11,000 years ago, Flathead Lake is one of the largest natural freshwater lakes i … |
Lake Tahoe, CA/NV (California, High Sierra Region, CA, Nevada, Renoe-Tahoe Territory, NV, US West Region, USA) |
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 … |
Upper Red Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
119,271 ac | Nestled in the Northwest Region of Minnesota, Upper Red Lake has an incredible comeback story and is becoming a popular vacation place for the second … |
Pyramid Lake, NV (Nevada, Renoe-Tahoe Territory, NV, US West Region, USA) |
117,400 ac | Pyramid Lake is a true natural wonder located in the Pyramid Lake Paiute Indian Reservation in western Nevada. Covering 117,400 acres, it is the third … |
Sam Rayburn Reservoir, TX (Piney Woods Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
114,500 ac | Also known as Lake Sam Rayburn, McGee Bend Reservoir Sam Rayburn Reservoir, lovingly called “Big Sam”, and formerly known as McGee Bend Reservoir, is the largest lake which lies completely within Texas. … |
Lake Marion, SC (Santee Cooper Country, SC, South Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
110,600 ac | The largest lake in South Carolina at 172 square miles, Lake Marion straddles five counties: Berkeley, Calhoun, Clarendon, Orangeburg, and Sumter. It … |
Eufaula Lake, OK (Green Country, OK, Kiamichi Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
105,000 ac | Also known as Lake Eufaula Spanning 105,000 acres, Eufaula Lake covers much of McIntosh and Pittsburg Counties in eastern Oklahoma. This “Gentle Giant” is the largest lake in su … |