Deepest lakes & reservoirs in Minnesota 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 116 articles we have published for Minnesota lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > Minnesota > Compared by maximum depth in feet. This list does not represent all lakes in Minnesota, only the 116 Minnesota lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Max depth in feet |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Superior (Canada, Great Lakes of North America, Lake Superior Northwoods Region, WI, Michigan, Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, Ontario, Canada, US Midwest Region, USA, Upper Peninsula Region, MI, Wisconsin) |
1,332 ft | Skipping over state and country borders, Lake Superior, the largest, deepest, coldest, cleanest, least developed, and most pristine of the Great Lakes… |
| Saganaga Lake, MN / Canada (Canada, Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, Ontario, Canada, US Midwest Region, USA) |
280 ft | The 13,832 acres of Saganaga Lake straddle the border of Northeastern Minnesota and Ontario, Canada. Part of the well known Boundary Waters Canoe Area… |
| Lake of the Woods, MN / Canada (Canada, Manitoba, Canada, Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, Ontario, Canada, US Midwest Region, USA) |
210 ft | Spanning the border from Minnesota into the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, Lake of the Woods is an enormous body of water over 68 miles l… |
| Ten Mile Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
208 ft | Also known as Tenmile Lake Ten Mile Lake is a 5,046-acre spring-fed lake located near Hackensack, in the northwest region of Minnesota. With 25 miles of shoreline and a maximum… |
| Gunflint Lake (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
200 ft | Gunflint Lake holds a special spot in the hearts of outdoors fans in Minnesota’s Northeastern Region. Almost 30 miles northwest of Grand Marais ‘as th… |
| Alexandria Chain of Lakes (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
163 ft | Also known as Lake Geneva, Lake Darling, Lake Carlos, Lake Le Homme Dieu, Lake Victoria, Lake Cowdry, Lake Jessie, North Union Lake, Lake Taylor, Lake Stony and Lake Brophy A favorite for family vacations in Minnesota’s Central Lakes region is the group of lakes known as the Alexandria Chain of Lakes. The lakes nearly sur… |
| Rainy Lake, MN / Canada (Canada, Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, Ontario, Canada, US Midwest Region, USA) |
161 ft | Rainy Lake’s sprawling 221,000 acres straddle the border of the United States and Canada. Known as a water sports lover’s paradise, Rainy Lake is loca… |
| Namakan Lake (Canada, Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, Ontario, Canada, US Midwest Region, USA) |
151 ft | Also known as Namakan Reservoir Namakan Lake’s delights await the lucky visitor. Covering more than 24,000 acres with many small islands, about half of the lake is located in Minneso… |
| Snowbank Lake (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
150 ft | Remote Snowbank Lake in northeast Minnesota borders the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and serves as a gateway to this popular outdoor adventur… |
| Leech Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
150 ft | With over 120,000 acres of water and 316 miles of shoreline, Leech Lake is the third largest lake located entirely in Minnesota, the “Land of 10,000 L… |
| Sea Gull Lake (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
145 ft | Sea Gull Lake is at the end of Gunflint Trail, one of Northeast Minnesota’s best known and most loved Scenic Byways. The trail provides 57 miles of ne… |
| Whitefish Lake, MN (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
140 ft | Also known as Upper Whitefish Lake and Lower Whitefish Lake, Whitefish Chain of Lakes The natural beauty of Whitefish Lake will leave visitors spellbound and ready to leave the cares of the world behind. Nestled in the Central Region of… |