Largest lakes & reservoirs in California by shoreline length
The length of the exterior shoreline around a lake is measured at the lake’s normal elevation. The shoreline length can be considerably shorter or longer when lake water levels are lower or higher than normal. A lake with many coves has a much longer shoreline than a lake of similar surface area that is nearly circular in shape.When known, the shoreline miles that we report in our statistics include only the lake’s exterior shoreline, and exclude the shorelines of islands located within a lake’s boundaries. In lakes with many islands, those islands’ combined shorelines may exceed a lake’s exterior shoreline.
You can find many of the world’s longest-shoreline lakes on LakeLubbers. Note: For some lakes, "Longest Shorelines" data is unknown or does not apply, so this table may display fewer lakes than the total 75 articles we have published for California lakes.
Thinking about booking a California 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 miles of shoreline
Below are lakes within USA > US West Region > California > Compared by longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in California, only the 75 California lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Shoreline length in miles |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Folsom Lake, CA (California, Gold Country Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
75 mi | Folsom Lake lays magnificently nestled along the American River at the base of the Sierra foothills. It is surrounded by an abundance of striking scen … |
| San Luis Reservoir, CA (California, Central Valley Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
65 mi | A sparkling sapphire gem carved into the eastern edge of the San Joaquin Valley, the San Luis Reservoir enjoys a scenic location in Merced County. Thi … |
| New Bullards Bar Reservoir, CA (California, Gold Country Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
55 mi | Also known as Bullards Bar Reservoir New Bullards Bar Reservoir is located on the west side of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in Yuba County, California, surrounded by the Tahoe and Plumas N … |
| Lake Tulloch, CA (California, Gold Country Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
55 mi | Also known as Tulloch Lake An impoundment of the Stanislaus River, Lake Tulloch is part of a much larger water system and provides water for both irrigation and recreation. With … |
| Lake Sonoma, CA (California, North Coast Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
53 mi | In 1983 the US Army Corps of Engineers completed the Warm Springs Dam, and the almost limitless recreation opportunities of Sonoma County California e … |
| Lake Camanche, CA (California, Gold Country Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
53 mi | Also known as Camanche Reservoir Lake Camanche is situated on the border of Calaveras and Amador Counties in California’s Gold Country tourism region. These two counties played influe … |
| Lake Almanor, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
52 mi | One of the largest artificial lakes in the state, Lake Almanor lays claim to approximately 28,000 acres of northeastern California. The lake was creat … |
| Crowley Lake (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
45 mi | Also known as Long Valley Reservoir, Lake Crowley Crowley Lake is known for excellent trout fishing in California’s High Sierras region. Before construction of the Long Valley Dam in 1941, few trout e … |
| Cachuma Lake (California, Central Coast Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
42 mi | 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 … |
| Mono Lake, CA (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
40 mi | Mono Lake, located in California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, has a long and rich history dating back to its formation over 760,000 years ago. S … |
| Lake Isabella, CA (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
38 mi | Also known as Isabella Reservoir Lake Isabella is an 11,200 acre reservoir in Kern County, California, about 35 miles northeast of Bakersfield. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers create … |
| Whiskeytown Lake, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
36 mi | Pristine Whiskeytown Lake is located 8 miles west of Redding in the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, a portion of the larger Shasta-Trinity Recre … |