Deepest lakes & reservoirs in California by maximum depth (ft)
The estimated greatest depth of the water in a lake can be measured at the lake’s normal elevation. If the water volume and surface area of a lake are known, an estimate of the lake’s average depth can be calculated:Water volume ÷ Surface Area = Average Depth
Example: 1,000,000 acre-feet ÷ 20,000 acres = 50 feet average depth.
You can find many of the the world’s deepest lakes on LakeLubbers. If you sort the list, you will find the (maximum depth of) the shallowest lakes in our database. Note: For some lakes, lake depth data is unknown, so this table may display fewer lakes than the total 75 articles we have published for California lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US West Region > California > Compared by maximum depth in feet. This list does not represent all lakes in California, only the 75 California lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Max depth in feet |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Tahoe, CA/NV (California, High Sierra Region, CA, Nevada, Renoe-Tahoe Territory, NV, US West Region, USA) |
1,645 ft | Tucked into the Sierra Nevada Mountains and straddling the California-Nevada state line, Lake Tahoe is one of the most famous lakes in the United Stat… |
| Lake Oroville, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
695 ft | Also known as Oroville Reservoir Lake Oroville, snuggled into the Sierra Nevada Foothills about 75 miles north of Sacramento, is one of northern California’s favorite playgrounds. Boa… |
| New Melones Lake, CA (California, Gold Country Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
565 ft | Also known as New Melones Reservoir Gently placed into the central Sierra Nevada Mountains near Sonora in Calaveras County, New Melones Lake holds the title of fourth largest reservoir b… |
| Shasta Lake, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
517 ft | Shasta Lake, one of the largest lakes in California, is an outdoor paradise of fresh blue water, awe-inspiring caverns, investigative trails, first cl… |
| Fallen Leaf Lake (California, High Sierra Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
415 ft | Travelers who enjoy the splendor of Lake Tahoe might never be aware of the smaller but very beautiful Fallen Leaf Lake that is located just one mile s… |
| Trinity Lake, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
390 ft | Also known as Clair Engle Lake In 1976 Tim Brady from Weaverville caught the California record smallmouth bass in Trinity Lake. The quiet lake still draws anglers today, both for th… |
| Castaic Lake, CA (California, Los Angeles County, CA, US West Region, USA) |
330 ft | Also known as Lake Castaic Almost every lake promises something for everyone, but Castaic Lake in Los Angeles County, California delivers. With separate sections of its 2,427 ac… |
| Lake Berryessa, CA (California, Central Valley Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
275 ft | Lake Berryessa, nestled into the heart of California’s wine country, is the largest lake in Napa County. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation built the Mont… |
| San Luis Reservoir, CA (California, Central Valley Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
270 ft | 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… |
| Whiskeytown Lake, CA (California, Shasta Cascade Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
264 ft | Pristine Whiskeytown Lake is located 8 miles west of Redding in the Whiskeytown National Recreation Area, a portion of the larger Shasta-Trinity Recre… |
| Diamond Valley Lake, CA (California, Inland Empire Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
260 ft | Also known as Diamond Valley Reservoir Diamond Valley Lake lies between two mountains in California’s Inland Empire tourism region. The 4,500-acre lake is Southern California’s newest and l… |
| Donner Lake (California, Gold Country Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
230 ft | Also known as Truckee Lake Steeped in the history of America’s Emigrant Trail, Donner Lake sits in California’s beautiful Sierra Nevada Mountains. Found within Nevada County’s c… |