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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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 |
|---|---|---|
| Grindstone Lake, WI (Lake Superior Northwoods Region, WI, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
3,111 ac | Also known as Hayward Lakes Named for the Chippewa word “gajigwanabikokag” meaning grindstone, Grindstone Lake has beautiful, clean water and some exceptionally large fish. Near … |
| Cachuma Lake (California, Central Coast Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
3,100 ac | Also known as Cachuma Reservoir, Lake Cachuma One of the most popular destination lakes along the California Central Coast is 3100-acre Cachuma Lake. In 1953, the federal Bureau of Reclamation con … |
| Storm Lake, IA (Iowa, Northwest Iowa, US Midwest Region, USA) |
3,097 ac | Storm Lake is located in Buena Vista County in northern Iowa. At 3,097 acres, the lake is one of the largest natural lakes in the state. On the northe … |
| Crane Lake MN (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
3,088 ac | Tucked into the vast and remote wilderness of northeastern Minnesota, Crane Lake is a picture of beauty seemingly taken before the rise of civilizatio … |
| Lake Waconia (Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Region, MN, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
3,080 ac | Also known as Clearwater Lake (historic) Lake Waconia is one of the lesser-known large lakes in the Minneapolis Metro Region. At nearly 3100 acres, the lake offers plenty of play space for wa … |
| First Connecticut Lake, NH (Great North Woods Region, NH, New Hampshire, US New England Region, USA) |
3,071 ac | New Hampshire’s Connecticut Lakes, located in the state’s Great North Woods region, are comprised of four lakes: First Connecticut Lake, Second Connec … |
| Rush Lake, WI (Central Sands Prairie Region, WI, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
3,070 ac | Rush Lake is a conservation success story in the making and a testament to what can happen when diverse groups are willing to put aside their differen … |
| Detroit Lake MN (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
3,067 ac | Minnesota’s Detroit Lake offers visitors an impressive number of things to do, both in and out of the water. The lake offers 3,067 acres of year-round … |
| Alder Lake (Southwest Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
3,065 ac | Also known as Alder Reservoir Vacationers planning to visit Mount Rainer need to fit beautiful Alder Lake into their plans. This reservoir in the Southwest Region of Washington off … |
| Lake Rhodhiss, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
3,060 ac | Also known as Rhodhiss Lake Lake Rhodhiss spans 3,060 acres in Burke and Caldwell Counties of west central North Carolina, lying between Lake James and Lake Hickory. A view of su … |
| Lake Chesdin, VA (Central Virginia, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
3,060 ac | With some of the best freshwater sport fishing and recreation in Virginia, it’s hard to believe that Lake Chesdin is only 30 minutes from metropolitan … |
| Round Lake, WI (Lake Superior Northwoods Region, WI, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
3,054 ac | Also known as Hayward Lakes Nestled in Wisconsin’s Northwoods, Round Lake in Sawyer County is a fantastic place to boat and fish. Part of the Hayward Lakes that include Grindston … |