Largest lakes & reservoirs in 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 2151 articles we have published for lakes.
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Below are lakes within Compared by longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in , only the 2151 lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Shoreline length in miles |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Don Pedro Lake, CA (California, Gold Country Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
160 mi | Also known as Lake Don Pedro, Don Pedro Reservoir Don Pedro Lake, also known as Don Pedro Reservoir and Lake Don Pedro, is nestled into the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. With a surface are … |
| Lake Mjosa (Norway) |
160 mi | Lake Mjosa is Norway’s largest lake, covering 89,500 acres. Located about 35 miles north of Oslo, the fjord lake is long and narrow, a drowned valley … |
| Navajo Lake NM (Colorado, New Mexico, Northwest New Mexico, NM, Southeast Colorado, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA) |
159 mi | Also known as Navajo Reservoir Navajo Lake offers a surprising and welcome expanse of water in northwestern New Mexico. The 15,600-acre reservoir stretches north into southwest Colo … |
| San Carlos Lake, AZ (Arizona, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, USA) |
158 mi | San Carlos Lake is on the San Carlos Apache Native American Reservation in north-central Arizona. With 19,500 surface acres of water when full, San Ca … |
| Webbers Falls Reservoir, OK (Green Country, OK, Kiamichi Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
157 mi | Also known as Webbers Falls Lake Webbers Falls Reservoir is located in east-central Oklahoma north of Webbers Falls, a town named for seven foot-high falls on the Arkansas River. Mana … |
| Lake Harding, AL/GA (Alabama, Georgia, Presidential Pathways Region, GA, River Heritage Region, AL, US South Region, USA) |
156 mi | Also known as Bartlett's Ferry Reservoir, Bartlett's Ferry Lake Stretching 13 miles along the border between Georgia and Alabama, Lake Harding has almost 6,000 acres of water for boating, water skiing and fishing. … |
| Yamdrok Tso (Tibet) |
155 mi | Also known as Yamdrok Yumtso, Yamdrok Lake Yamdrok Tso Lake, one of four holy lakes in Tibet, lies at an elevation of 14,570 feet on the Tibetan Plateau. Long hidden from the world by the remot … |
| Rathbun Lake, IA (Iowa, South Central Iowa, US Midwest Region, USA) |
155 mi | Also known as Lake Rathbun One of the largest lakes in the state of Iowa, Rathbun Lake is located in Appanoose County and is a perfect place to enjoy water sports, fishing, and … |
| Cahora Bassa (Mozambique, Tete Province Region, Mozambique) |
153 mi | Cahora Bassa is likely one of the best fishing destinations on the African continent. This relatively young reservoir was formed when the Cahora Bassa … |
| Lesser Slave Lake, AB (Alberta, Canada, Canada) |
153 mi | Located 236 miles northwest of Edmonton in Alberta, Canada, Lesser Slave Lake’s more than 280,000 surface acres present a wonderful scenic recreationa … |
| Lake Malawi, African Great Lakes (African Great Lakes, Iringa Region, Tanzania, Malawi, Manda Wilderness Region, Mozambique, Mbeya Region, Tanzania, Mozambique, Ruvuma Region, Tanzania, Tanzania, The Lakeshore Region, Malawi) |
152 mi | Also known as Lake Nyasa, Lake Nyassa, Lake Niassa, Lago Niassa Located in the East African Rift Valley system between Malawi, Mozambique and Tanzania, Lake Malawi — also known as Lake Nyasa, Lake Nyassa, Lake Nia … |
| 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 … |