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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cut Foot Sioux Lakes (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
2,808 ac | Also known as Big Cut Foot Sioux Lake, Little Cut Foot Sioux Lake Few people have heard of the Northeast Minnesota destination of Cut Foot Sioux Lakes. Connected to neighboring Lake Winnibigoshish, the Cut Foot Sioux … |
| Mayo Lake, NC (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
2,800 ac | Also known as Mayo Reservoir or Lake Mayo Mayo Lake, set in a landscape of gently rolling hills and farmlands, was formed when Carolina Light and Power Company (now Progress Energy) needed coo … |
| Horseshoe Reservoir, AZ (Arizona, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, USA) |
2,800 ac | Horseshoe Reservoir, in the Arizona Central Region, is a seldom-visited surprise. Horseshoe Lake, as it is often called, was created in 1946, when a d … |
| Summersville Lake, WV (Mountain Lakes Region, WV, US South Region, USA, West Virginia) |
2,790 ac | Also known as Summersville Reservoir Scenic Summersville Lake is the largest lake in West Virginia. The reservoir was built by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for flood control on the Ga … |
| Winter Park Chain of Lakes (East Central Florida, Florida, US South Region, USA) |
2,781 ac | Also known as Lake Mizell, Lake Minnehaha, Lake Osceola, Lake Virginia, Lake Maitland The Winter Park Chain of Lakes has been a major feature contributing to quality of life in Winter Park, Florida for well over a hundred years. The Cit … |
| Lake Tapps (Seattle & Puget Sound Region, WA, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
2,780 ac | Also known as Tapps Reservoir Located in the populous Seattle and Puget Sound Region of Washington, Lake Tapps delivers water supply, recreation and sound fish ecology to residents … |
| Lake Burton, GA (Georgia, Northeast Georgia Mountains Region, US South Region, USA) |
2,775 ac | Lake Burton is the first and largest reservoir in a series of lakes managed by Georgia Power Company, called the North Georgia Hydro Group. Its 2,775 … |
| Lake Idro (Italy, Lombardy Region, Italy) |
2,768 ac | Also known as Lago d'Idro, Eridio Set against the backdrop of medieval villages, sailboats glide across the surface of 2,768-acre Lake Idro. No engines over 10HP are allowed on the bea … |
| Lake Rotoma, New Zealand (New Zealand, North Island, NZ, Rotorua Region, North Island, NZ) |
2,768 ac | Lake Rotoma is a remarkable lake. The lake is the easternmost in a chain of three lakes northeast of Lake Rotorua. Here in the Rotorua Region of the B … |
| White Oak Lake, AR (Arkansas, Timberlands Region, AR, US South Region, USA) |
2,766 ac | Also known as White Oak Reservoir Towering trees frame White Oak Lake, a reservoir located in the Timberlands Tourism Region of Arkansas. Rolling hills provide a scenic backdrop for an … |
| Gantt Lake, AL (Alabama, River Heritage Region, AL, US South Region, USA) |
2,747 ac | Also known as Gantt Reservoir Gantt Lake’s location in Alabama’s coastal plain gives it an advantage of long summers, humid and warm, and winter temperatures that remain mild. The … |
| Vallecito Lake, CO (Colorado, Southeast Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
2,720 ac | Also known as Vallecito Reservoir The quest for a reliable source of irrigation water in Colorado’s dry Southwest Region brought Vallecito Lake into being. Twenty-two miles north of Du … |