Largest lakes & reservoirs in 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 2151 articles we have published for lakes.

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Search results: Sort lakes by surface acreage


Below are lakes within Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in , only the 2151 lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.

Lake name Surface area in acres Lake description
Tupper Lake
(Adirondacks Region, NY, New York, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA)
3,853 ac Also known as Big Tupper Lake

Big Tupper Lake is a perfect specimen of the natural lakes found in the Adirondack region of upstate New York. The 3,850-acre lake formed from a glaci …

West Okoboji Lake, IA
(Iowa, Northwest Iowa, US Midwest Region, USA)
3,847 ac Also known as West Lake Okoboji

West Okoboji Lake is one of Iowa’s eight Great Lakes located in Dickinson County. It was named “Minnetonka” by the Sioux Indians meaning “Great Waters …

Lake Arbuckle
(Florida, US South Region, USA, West Central Florida)
3,828 ac

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 …

Androscoggin Lake
(Kennebec & Moose River Valleys Region, ME, Lakes & Mountains Region, ME, Maine, US New England Region, USA)
3,826 ac Also known as Lake Androscoggin

Androscoggin Lake is a freshwater glacial lake of very irregular shape that falls into two geographic regions of Central Maine: the Kennebec and Moose …

Hayden Lake, ID
(Idaho, Northern Idaho, US West Region, USA)
3,800 ac

Hayden Lake is located in the scenic panhandle of North Idaho in Kootenai County. With its sparkling water, pristine sandy beaches and timbered shorel …

Benbrook Lake
(Prairies and Lakes Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA)
3,770 ac Also known as Lake Benbrook, Benbrook Reservoir

Sprawled along the Clear Fork branch of the Trinity River in the Texas Prairies and Lakes region, Benbrook Lake works hard to improve the quality of l …

Neenoshe Reservoir, CO
(Colorado, Southeast Colorado, US West Region, USA)
3,770 ac Also known as Nee Noshe Reservoir

Everyone knows the song about “a home where the deer and the antelope play.” For the people who live around the Great Plains Reservoirs, that home is …

Chetek Chain of Lakes, WI
(Lake Superior Northwoods Region, WI, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin)
3,761 ac Also known as Six Lakes

Tucked in the midst of the Wisconsin’s Lake Superior Northwoods Region lies the Chetek Chain of Lakes, also known as Six Lakes. Centuries ago, inhabit …

Hyco Lake, NC
(North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA)
3,750 ac

Hyco Lake is a man-made reservoir located in northern North Carolina near the Virginia state line in the Roanoke River Basin. In the early 1960s, the …

Lake Quinault, WA
(Olympic Peninsula & Pacific Coast Region, WA, US West Region, USA, Washington)
3,729 ac Also known as Quinault Lake

Located in northwest Washington’s Olympic Peninsula tourism region, Lake Quinault is a clear, deep lake lying just west of the Olympic Mountains. Twel …

Falcon Lake MB
(Canada, Manitoba, Canada)
3,707 ac

One of southeastern Manitoba’s best vacation hideaways is Falcon Lake. This 3,700-acre lake offers a bit of everything-except crowded cities. Nestled …

West Hawk Lake
(Canada, Manitoba, Canada)
3,706 ac Also known as The Meteor Lake

Occupying a prominent position on the southern Manitoba/Ontario border, West Hawk Lake is a favored destination within Whiteshell Provincial Park. The …