Largest lakes & reservoirs in Canada by water volume
The estimated volume of water that a lake contains is measured at the lake’s normal elevation. By this measure, the world’s largest freshwater lake is Siberia’s Lake Baikal.Water Volume can be measured in acre-feet, in cubic miles, or in cubic kilometers. One acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover one acre (43,560 square feet) to a depth of one foot. One cubic mile equals 3,379,200 acre-feet. One cubic kilometer equals 810,713 acre-feet. 1 acre-foot is equal to 325,851 US gallons. Siberia’s Lake Baikal contains about 6,276,367,740,000,000 gallons of freshwater – nearly 1 million gallons for every living person on earth.
The other – and more widely used – measure of a lake’s size is the lake’s surface acreage. By that measure, the world’s largest freshwater lake is North America’s Lake Superior.
Note: In the United States, an acre foot is a unit of volume used to refer to large-scale bodies of water. It is defined by the volume of water needed to cover 1 acre of surface area to a depth of 1 foot.
You can find many of the the world’s largest lakes (by water volume) on LakeLubbers. Note: For some lakes, the water volume data is unknown or does not apply, so you may see fewer lakes than the total 164 articles we have published for Canada lakes.
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Below are lakes within Canada > Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in Canada, only the 164 Canada lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Water vol. in ac-ft | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Lesser Slave Lake, AB (Alberta, Canada, Canada) |
11,098,663 ac-ft | Located 236 miles northwest of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, Lesser Slave Lake’s more than 280,000 surface acres present a wonderful scenic recreationa … |
Lac Saint-Jean, QC (Canada, Quebec, Canada) |
9,647,487 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Saint-John, Piekouagami) Follow Quebec’s Saguenay River to Lake Saint John and you will follow a path carved by time and the impressive power of nature. The two waterways are … |
Lake Simcoe, ON (Canada, Ontario, Canada) |
9,404,273 ac-ft | Spectacular Lake Simcoe is one of the most visited vacation spots in Ontario’s south-central region. Just over an hour north of Toronto, Lake Simcoe p … |
Lake Laberge, YT (Canada, Yukon, Canada) |
8,755,702 ac-ft | A famous poem by Robert Service forever immortalizes Lake Laberge and the wonders of the Yukon Territory. “There are strange things done ‘neath the mi … |
Lake Diefenbaker (Canada, Saskatchewan, Canada) |
7,620,704 ac-ft | (Also known as Diefenbaker Lake) Lake Diefenbaker, the largest reservoir in southern Saskatchewan, is developing a reputation as a favorite vacationland for visitors from all over Can … |
Lake Koocanusa, MT / Canada (British Columbia, Canada, Canada, Glacier Country, MT, Montana, US West Region, USA) |
5,850,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Koocanusa Lake, Koocanusa Reservoir) In the far north of the United States, tucked into the northwestern end of Montana, is the long, narrow Lake Koocanusa. This lake is actually a man-ma … |
Lake Saint Clair, MI / Canada (Canada, Michigan, Ontario, Canada, Southeast Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
2,770,944 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake St. Clair) Heart-shaped Lake Saint Clair is the smallest body of water in the Great Lakes system. Tucked between Lake Huron to the north and Lake Erie to the sou … |
Lake St. Francis, NY / Canada (Canada, New York, Ontario, Canada, Quebec, Canada, Thousand Islands Region, NY, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
2,269,997 ac-ft | (Also known as Lac Saint-Francois) Lake St. Francis is part of the 2,340 mile system of locks, canals, and channels that link the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence … |
Lake Memphremagog, VT / Canada (Canada, Northeast Kingdom Region, VT, Quebec, Canada, US New England Region, USA, Vermont) |
1,378,212 ac-ft | (Also known as Lac Memphremagog) A perfect reflection of brightly colored mountains among a blue backdrop is cast upon Lake Memphremagog’s smooth, motionless surface. A kayaker, sitti … |
Lake Muskoka, ON (Canada, Ontario, Canada) |
1,124,459 ac-ft | (Also known as Muskoka Lake, Muskoka Lakes Region) Lake Muskoka, located in Ontario’s Muskoka Lakes Region, is one of Canada’s most famous lakes. Actually a chain of lakes, Muskoka joins Lake Joseph an … |
Ross Lake (British Columbia, Canada, Canada, North Central Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
770,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Ross Reservoir) Spectacular Ross Lake is one of the seldom seen gems in north-central Washington. This fantastic 22-mile long reservoir covers 11,680 acres along the … |
Christina Lake, BC (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
721,056 ac-ft | (Also known as Oasis of the Kootenays) Consistently rated one of Canada’s most popular family vacation destinations, Christina Lake offers some of the warmest lake waters in Canada. Located … |