Largest lakes & reservoirs in North Carolina 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 45 articles we have published for North Carolina lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US South Region > North Carolina > Compared by longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in North Carolina, only the 45 North Carolina lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Shoreline length in miles |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Kerr Lake, NC/VA (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, Southern Virginia Region, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
800 mi | Also known as Kerr Reservoir, John H Kerr Reservoir, Buggs Island Lake, Buggs Island Reservoir The 48,900-acre John H. Kerr Reservoir straddles the Virginia-North Carolina border. This impoundment of the Roanoke and Dan Rivers, completed by the … |
| Lake Norman, NC (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
520 mi | Lake Norman’s 32,510 acres garner it the superlative of being North Carolina’s largest manmade lake. An impressive 34 miles in length with 520 miles o … |
| High Rock Lake, NC (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
365 mi | The northernmost of the Uwharrie Lakes, High Rock Lake enjoys its spot as North Carolina’s second largest reservoir entirely within the state: its wat … |
| Lake Gaston, NC/VA (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, Southern Virginia Region, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
350 mi | Lake Gaston covers 20,300 acres along 34 miles of Virginia and North Carolina real estate. The lake was created in 1963 by the Virginia Electric and P … |
| Lake Wylie (North Carolina, Olde English District, SC, Piedmont Region, NC, South Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
325 mi | Also known as Lake Wylie Reservoir Spanning the North Carolina-South Carolina border, Lake Wylie is the oldest reservoir on the Catawba River. First dammed in 1904, the dam was rebuilt … |
| Fontana Lake, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
238 mi | Also known as Fontana Reservoir Fontana Lake, nestled in western North Carolina’s Smoky Mountains, was built by the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) to provide hydroelectric power to … |
| Jordan Lake, NC (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
200 mi | Also known as B. Everett Jordan Reservoir, New Hope Lake Jordan Lake, initially called New Hope Lake, is a 13,940-acre reservoir in central North Carolina’s Piedmont region, part of the Upper Cape Fear River … |
| Falls Lake, NC (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
175 mi | In 1978, the United States Army Corps of Engineers began construction on what would become Falls Lake. Formed at the base of the Eno, Flat, and Little … |
| Lake Hiwassee, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
163 mi | Also known as Hiwassee Reservoir or Hiwassee Lake Lake Hiwassee is located in the mountainous region of North Carolina’s southwestern Cherokee County. Sitting in the Nantahala National Forest, it is a … |
| Hyco Lake, NC (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
160 mi | Hyco Lake is a man-made reservoir located in northern North Carolina near the Virginia state line in the Roanoke River Basin. In the early 1960s, the … |
| Lake James, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
150 mi | Nestled into the Blue Ridge Mountains, Lake James is a 6,510 acre lake in western North Carolina with 150 shoreline miles. Duke Power constructed thre … |
| Lake Chatuge, GA/NC (Georgia, Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, Northeast Georgia Mountains Region, US South Region, USA) |
132 mi | Also known as Chatuge Lake, Chatuge Reservoir Beautiful Lake Chatuge (pronounced “sha-toog”) spans 7200 acres and two states, stretching 13 miles from Hayesville, North Carolina, to Hiawassee, Geo … |