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.
Thinking about booking a lake vacation home rental, cabin or hotel?
Use our free interactive vacation rental map to search and compare multiple vacation properties at a glance. Enter a lake name, a state or city and then simply click on a listing to compare all similar properties, best rates and availability for your dates.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 |
|---|---|---|
| Cross Lake ME (Aroostook County, ME, Maine, US New England Region, USA) |
2,470 ac | She rented her kayak from one of the outfitters near Cross Lake, the same one that handles some of the lake’s vacation rentals. As the mist rises off … |
| Harding Lake, AK (Alaska, Interior Region, AK, US West Region, USA) |
2,470 ac | Harding Lake is the largest, deepest, and most easily reached of the four road-accessible lakes within two hours of Fairbanks (Birch Lake, Quartz Lake … |
| Horseshoe Chain of Lakes (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
2,456 ac | Also known as Horseshoe Chain, Sauk River Chain of Lakes The Horseshoe Chain of Lakes in Central Minnesota has been a well-loved vacation destination for many years. The chain of over a dozen lakes along the … |
| Success Lake (California, Central Valley Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
2,450 ac | Also known as Lake Success, Success Reservoir Feeding America’s families is just one of the quiet duties of Success Lake in California’s fertile Central Valley region. Since the Tule River was dam … |
| Twin Lakes, CO (Colorado, South Central Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
2,440 ac | Also known as Twin Lakes Reservoir In the mid 1800’s gold was discovered in Lake County Colorado, and everything changed. Settlers moved west seeking their fortunes and discovered not o … |
| Lake Nokomis, WI (Lake Superior Northwoods Region, WI, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
2,433 ac | It is no accident that Oneida County’s motto is “Where nature lingered longer.” Wisconsin’s Northwoods are truly inspiring. With over a thousand lakes … |
| Lough MacNean (Fermanagh Region, Northern Ireland, Ireland, North West Region, Ireland, Northern Ireland Region, United Kingdom, United Kingdom) |
2,429 ac | Also known as Upper Lough MacNean, Lower Lough MacNean Lough MacNean, a freshwater lake (lough) surrounded by picturesque scenery, is often referred to by Upper Lough MacNean and Lower Lough MacNean. This … |
| Castaic Lake, CA (California, Los Angeles County, CA, US West Region, USA) |
2,427 ac | Also known as Lake Castaic Almost every lake promises something for everyone, but Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County, California delivers. With separate sections of its 2,427 ac … |
| Johns Lake, FL (East Central Florida, Florida, US South Region, USA) |
2,419 ac | Also known as John's Lake Johns Lake is a beautiful 2,419-acre lake located halfway between Orlando and Clermont in central Florida. The lake is divided into east (Black Lake) … |
| White Bear Lake (Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Region, MN, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
2,417 ac | White Bear Lake is both a lake and a lakefront community in Ramsey County, Minnesota which attracts year round visitors from across the country. Just … |
| Topaz Lake, CA/NV (California, High Sierra Region, CA, Nevada, Renoe-Tahoe Territory, NV, US West Region, USA) |
2,410 ac | Also known as Topaz Reservoir Topaz Lake is a man-made reservoir located on the border of Nevada and California, about 75 miles south of Reno, Nevada. The reservoir was built on th … |
| Lake Noquebay, WI (Lake Michigan Region, WI, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
2,409 ac | Lake Noquebay spans more than 2,400 acres in northeastern Wisconsin. Located in Marinette County, Lake Noquebay is part of Wisconsin’s Lake Michigan R … |