Largest lakes & reservoirs in Southern Minnesota 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 9 articles we have published for Southern Minnesota lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > Minnesota > Southern Minnesota > Compared by longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in Southern Minnesota, only the 9 Southern Minnesota lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Shoreline length in miles |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Pepin, MN/WI (Minnesota, Mississippi-Chippewa Rivers Region, WI, Southern Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
85 mi | Lake Pepin is the largest lake on the Mississippi River, formed about 9,500 years ago by the backup of water behind sediments where the Chippewa River … |
| Lac qui Parle, MN (Minnesota, Southern Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
42 mi | Thousands of feathered creatures gather here, nesting, breeding and chattering about things only birds would know about. For the myriad sounds the bir … |
| Lake Shetek, MN (Minnesota, Southern Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
32 mi | Located near the southwestern corner of the state, Lake Shetek is one of the best known of Minnesota Southern Region Lakes. Shetek means pelican in th … |
| Albert Lea Lake (Minnesota, Southern Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
24 mi | Hikers wake up to the sun filtering through the trees and the chirping of indigo buntings and eastern bluebirds at Albert Lea Lake in southern Minneso … |
| Fountain Lake (Minnesota, Southern Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
14 mi | Fountain Lake is a sparkling 521-acre southern Minnesota lake, featuring three prominently-placed water fountains. Its shores surround the city of Alb … |
| Lake Washington, MN (Minnesota, Southern Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
13 mi | Lake Washington is a uniquely-shaped body of water situated just northeast of the Mankato Regional Airport, in Minnesota’s Southern tourism region. Wh … |
| Madison Lake, MN (Minnesota, Southern Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
10 mi | Madison Lake is a natural, freshwater lake situated in Minnesota’s Blue Earth County. It is a rather large lake, with a surface area of 1,113 acres an … |