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 |
|---|---|---|
| Big Rideau Lake (Canada, Ontario, Canada) |
1,610 ac | Also known as Rideau Lakes One of the largest lakes along the route of the Rideau Waterway in Ontario, Canada is Big Rideau Lake. This lake is controlled by a canal system calle … |
| West Lake (China, East China Region) |
1,608 ac | Also known as Qiantang Lake,Outer West Lake, West Inner Lake, North Inner Lake, Little South Lake, Yue Lake One of the most beautiful engineered environments in China is West Lake. Originally a spring-fed bay on the Qiantang River, the lake was formed about … |
| Nantahala Lake, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
1,605 ac | Also known as Lake Nantahala Nantahala Lake is one of the most pristine lakes in North Carolina. Located within the Nantahala National Forest at an elevation of 3,012 feet, the 1, … |
| Essex Chain of Lakes (Adirondacks Region, NY, New York, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
1,602 ac | Also known as Deer Pond, Mud Pond, Third Lake, Seventh Lake, Sixth Lake, Fifth Lake, Fourth Lake, Second Lake, First Lake After long months of anticipation and hours of negotiation, the newly-acquired Essex Chain of Lakes opened in New York’s Adirondacks region. An 11,600 … |
| Lake Austin, TX (Hill Country Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,599 ac | Scenic Lake Austin snakes its way through the Austin Hill Country on the Colorado River in Central Texas. It is the sixth lake down the chain of the H … |
| W. D. Mayo Lock and Dam, OK (Kiamichi Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,595 ac | Also known as W. D. Mayo Lock and Dam 14 Located in eastern Oklahoma’s Kiamichi Country, W.D. Mayo Lock and Dam sits just a few miles north of Spiro, Oklahoma. The dam is managed by the U.S. … |
| Sacandaga Lake & Lake Pleasant (Adirondacks Region, NY, New York, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
1,589 ac | Sacandaga Lake and Lake Pleasant are the crown jewels of Hamilton County, anchor community of central Adirondack Park. The community of Lake Pleasant … |
| Bark Lake, QC (Canada, Quebec, Canada) |
1,586 ac | Also known as Lac des Ecorces, Lac de Barkme Bark Lake sits among the tree-covered hills of Canada’s Laurentian Mountain region a short 50-mile drive northwest of Montreal and 100 miles northeast … |
| Intermediate Lake, MI (Michigan, Northwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1,570 ac | Also known as Central Lake, Elk River Chain of Lakes Intermediate Lake, in Antrim County is one of the main lakes in the Elk River Chain of Lakes which include Beals, Scotts, Six Mile, St. Clair, Ellswor … |
| Embden Pond, ME (Kennebec & Moose River Valleys Region, ME, Maine, US New England Region, USA) |
1,568 ac | Also known as Embden Lake When you arrive at Embden Pond, you have arrived at an outdoors enthusiast’s paradise. The clear waters of Embden Pond, also known as Embden Lake, ref … |
| Lake Overholser, OK (Frontier Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,567 ac | Constructed in 1919, Lake Overholser is the oldest and smallest of three reservoirs that serve Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Connected to nearby Lake Hefne … |
| Little Bear Creek Reservoir, AL (Alabama, Mountains Region, AL, US South Region, USA) |
1,560 ac | Also known as Little Bear Reservoir Little Bear Creek Reservoir, located 13 miles southwest of Russellville in Franklin County in the Mountains Region of northwestern Alabama, is a 1,560 … |