Deepest lakes & reservoirs in USA 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 1644 articles we have published for USA lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > Compared by maximum depth in feet. This list does not represent all lakes in USA, only the 1644 USA lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Max depth in feet | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Skilak Lake, AK (Alaska, Southcentral Region, AK, US West Region, USA) |
528 ft | Tucked away in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge near Soldotna, Skilak Lake is a rare combination of accessibility and Alaskan Wilderness. Called a “… |
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… |
Tally Lake (Glacier Country, MT, Montana, US West Region, USA) |
492 ft | Also known as Talley Lake Tally Lake, in Montana’s Glacier Country region, is fast becoming a favorite among the adventurous. Located 15 miles west of the town of Whitefish, th… |
Hungry Horse Reservoir (Glacier Country, MT, Montana, US West Region, USA) |
490 ft | Hungry Horse Reservoir in Montana’s Glacier Country offers a wealth of recreational opportunities to northwestern Montana visitors. The nearly 24,000-… |
Waterton Lakes (Alberta, Canada, Canada, Glacier Country, MT, Montana, US West Region, USA) |
487 ft | Also known as Chief Mountain Lake, Knights Lake, Kootenay Lakes “Where the mountains meet the prairies” is the motto of Waterton Lakes National Park, the home of three Waterton Lakes that straddle the Montana-Alber… |
Lake McDonald, MT (Glacier Country, MT, Montana, US West Region, USA) |
472 ft | It’s barely daylight and his family is still sleeping in their lakeside cabin on Lake McDonald. He was so eager; he couldn’t wait. Nothing breaks the… |
Blue Lake, AK (Alaska, Inside Passage Region, AK, US West Region, USA) |
468 ft | Also known as Blue Lake Reservoir Blue Lake, located in the Alaska Panhandle of southeastern Alaska, is for adventure seekers. The County of Sitka is known for its vistas, mountain bac… |
Carters Lake, GA (Georgia, Historic High Country Region, GA, US South Region, USA) |
450 ft | Positioned at the south end of the majestic Blue Ridge Mountains in North Georgia, Carters Lake is a small, deep lake with a little over 60 miles of s… |
Fontana Lake, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
440 ft | 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… |
Detroit Lake, OR (Oregon, US West Region, USA, Willamette Valley Region, OR) |
440 ft | Conveniently located just 46 miles south of Salem in Oregon’s Willamette Valley tourism region lies Detroit Lake, a 3,580-acre artificial freshwater r… |
Jackson Lake, WY (Northwest Wyoming, US West Region, USA, Wyoming) |
438 ft | Jackson Lake is located in northwestern Wyoming, just south of Yellowstone National Park. It is in the heart of Grand Teton National Park, one of the… |
Flaming Gorge Reservoir, UT/WY (Dinosaurland Region, UT, Southwest Wyoming, US West Region, USA, Utah, Wyoming) |
436 ft | With more than 42,000 acres of boating and fishing waters, surrounded by choice camping and picnic areas, Flaming Gorge Reservoir – straddling the Wyo… |