Highest elevation lakes & reservoirs in by altitude
This is a comparison for lakes within - Compared by Highest Altitude/Elevation in feet.Note: For some lakes, "Altitude/Elevation" data is unknown, so this table may display fewer lakes than the total 2151 articles we have published for lakes.
Search results: Sort lakes by elevation
Lake name ![]() |
Elevation in feet ![]() |
Lake description |
---|---|---|
Lake Waiau (Big Island, Hawaii, USA, West) |
13,020 ft | [Full Again: Lake Waiau nearly disappeared, in a shrinking process that extended from 2010 – 2015 with no clear explanation. As of September 2015, it is again full.] Tiny Lake Waiau on Hawaii’s Big Island is one of the highest elevated lakes on the planet. Located at 13,020 feet above sea level, nea… |
Little Lakes Valley Trail Chain of Lakes (California, High Sierra, USA, West) |
10,950 ft | Also known as Mack Lake, Marsh Lake, Heart Lake, Box Lake, Long Lake, Chickenfoot Lake, Lower Gem Lake, Upper Gem Lake The Little Lakes Valley Trail is an ‘easy’ trail, according to experienced hikers in California’s High Sierras. However, these beautiful lakes are located at a high altitude which may be difficult for those unaccustomed to the thin atmosphere. The trailhead starts at 10,300 feet, which is the highes… |
Virginia Lakes Chain of Lakes (California, High Sierra, USA, West) |
10,870 ft | Also known as Trumbull Lake, Red Lake, Bue Lake, Little Virginia Lake, Big Virginia Lake, Cooney Lake, Moat Lake, Frog Lakes Uncrowded and unspoiled are the perfect words to describe the nine Virginia Lakes. Strung along Virginia Creek in California’s High Sierras, most of the lakes require a bit of a hike to get to. Virginia Creek isn’t navigable so no boats ever intrude on six of these alpine lakes. The three accessible… |
Lake Corpus Christi (Gulf Coast, Southwest, Texas, USA) |
10,159 ft | Lake Corpus Christi in Texas’s Gulf Coast region is just miles away from the coastline and the big coastal city of Corpus Christi. It is an impoundment of the Nueces River which rises northwest of San Antonio and travels southeast to the Gulf of Mexico. The 315-mile river is famed as the disputed bo… |
Twin Lakes CO (Colorado, South Central, USA, West) |
9,200 ft | Also known as Twin Lakes Reservoir In the mid 1800’s gold was discovered in Lake County Colorado, and everything changed. Settlers moved west seeking their fortunes and discovered not only gold but also the treasure of Twin Lakes. Made up of two natural glacial lakes, Twin Lakes are tucked at the base of Mt. Elbert in South Central C… |
Independence Lakes (Idaho, South Central, USA, West) |
9,180 ft | Independence Lakes in Idaho’s Sawtooth National Forest are at the end of one of south central Idaho’s most popular hiking trails in the Albion Mountains. The four tiny alpine lakes require a three-mile hike to reach, but the trail is only moderately difficult and suitable for families with pre-teen… |
Lake Dillon (Colorado, Northwest, USA, West) |
9,017 ft | Also known as Dillon Reservoir Nestled in the middle of some of Summit County’s best skiing, Lake Dillon is the perfect year round getaway. With its rich history, fantastic sport fishing, and easy access to world class skiing, the lake or Dillon Reservoir as it’s sometimes known, is sure to become a family favorite. The original… |
Lake Granby (Colorado, Front Range, USA, West) |
8,280 ft | Also known as Granby Lake Nestled in the shadows of the majestic Rocky Mountains near the headwaters of the Colorado River, Lake Granby is a great place for a mountain getaway. With its fishing, boating, water sports, and spectacular scenery and wildlife, this lake has something for everyone. Created in 1949 with the complet… |
Green Mountain Reservoir (Colorado, Northwest, USA, West) |
7,954 ft | Thousands of tourists and recreational guests come to the Colorado Rockies each year, never knowing that Green Mountain Reservoir is only a short distance away. This little-known lake is only about 20 miles downriver from well-known Silverthorne, in the White River National Forest. The 2000+-acre re… |
Vallecito Lake (Colorado, Southeast, USA, West) |
7,669 ft | Also known as Vallecito Reservoir The quest for a reliable source of irrigation water in Colorado’s dry Southwest Region brought Vallecito Lake into being. Twenty-two miles north of Durango, Vallecito Reservoir serves the water needs of approximately 55,000 acres of farmers and ranchers while providing recreation to thousands of vis… |
Strawberry Reservoir (Mountainland, USA, Utah, West) |
7,612 ft | Also known as The Berry Strawberry Reservoir, known locally as The Berry, is Utah’s most popular fishing spot. Located in Wasatch County, a convenient 65 miles east of the Wasatch Front and the cities of Salt Lake, Provo and Orem, Strawberry Reservoir draws visitors from around the state and country. Fishing on Strawberry… |
Blue Mesa Reservoir (Colorado, Southwest, USA, West) |
7,519 ft | Also known as Blue Mesa Lake Beautiful mesas, deep canyons, and steep rocky cliffs surround Blue Mesa Reservoir, the second largest lake entirely in Colorado. The clear, blue, mountain water of the fjord-like lake draws anglers, nature lovers, and vacationers from all over. Created in 1965 with the construction of the Blue Mesa… |
Enchantment Lakes (North Central Washington, USA, Washington, West) |
7,000 ft | Also known as Sprite Lake, Leprechaun Lake, Lake Viviane, Isolation Lake, Talisman Lake, Brisengamen Lakelets, Lake Brynhild, Lake Freya, Lake Rune. Crystal Lake, Shield Lake, Mesa Lake, Earle Lakes The Enchantment Lakes are very different from the type of lake most people envision when thinking of lakefront vacations. There are no boats, no swimming beaches, and no sunbathers. In fact, there are very few people. That’s because the delicate ecology of these alpine lakes in North Central Washing… |
McPhee Reservoir (Colorado, Southwest, USA, West) |
6,924 ft | In 1776 Spanish priests traveling through the Dolores Valley imagined a project that would bring water to the thirsty crops of the Montezuma Valley. By the mid 1800’s, tunnels had been cut to carry the water; over 200 years later, the priests’ dreams became reality with the creation of the McPhee Re… |
Jackson Lake (Northwest, USA, West, Wyoming) |
6,769 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 most spectacularly picturesque Parks in the United States. With its over 25,000 surface acres, Jackson Lake is a utopia for the over 2 million visitor… |
Hebgen Lake (Gold West Country, Montana, USA, West, Yellowstone Country) |
6,547 ft | Anglers will find some of Montana’s best stillwater trout fishing at Hebgen Lake. The 12,500-acre reservoir lies conveniently just outside the western entry to Yellowstone National Park. An artificial reservoir created in 1914 along the Madison River by the Montana Reservoir and Irrigation Company,… |
Mono Lake (California, High Sierra, USA, West) |
6,417 ft | Mono Lake, located in California’s Eastern Sierra Nevada Mountains, has a long and rich history dating back to its formation over 760,000 years ago. Sediments below the lake’s surface indicate that Mono Lake might be a leftover of an earlier, larger lake. Today, Mono Lake is fed from melting runoff… |
Abiquiu Lake (New Mexico, North-Central, Southwest, USA) |
6,375 ft | Also known as Abiquiu Reservoir Abiquiu Lake, located in Rio Arriba County in North-Central New Mexico, offers recreation areas for swimming, camping, fishing, boating, canoeing, kayaking, water skiing,, hiking and more. Creating in 1963 as a project of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, an earthen dam 1,540 feet long and… |
Seminoe Reservoir (Central, USA, West, Wyoming) |
6,357 ft | Seminoe Reservoir is an outdoor person’s wonderland with great fishing and an over 20,000 acre surface for boating and water sports. Near the north end of the reservoir is the 4,752 acre Morgan Creek forested drainage area within the Seminoe Mountains. This area is administered as a winter range for… |
Trinidad Lake (Colorado, Southeast, USA, West) |
6,230 ft | Also known as Trinidad Reservoir Seated at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in southeastern Colorado, Trinidad Lake is a great place to fish, boat, sail, and enjoy the outdoors. With its rich history, the nearby town of Trinidad rounds out a visit to the lake providing something to interest everyone. An impoundment of the Purga… |
Lake Tahoe (California, High Sierra, Nevada, Renoe-Tahoe Territory, USA, West) |
6,229 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 States. It’s the second deepest lake in the country (only Crater Lake in Oregon is deeper), and was home to the area’s 1960 Squaw Valley Winter Olympics.… |
Wild Horse Reservoir (Cowboy Country, Nevada, USA, West) |
6,210 ft | Also known as Wildhorse Reservoir Wild Horse Reservoir, also known as Wildhorse Reservoir, is located along the Owyhee River in the deserts of northeastern Nevada near the Idaho border. The reservoir was originally built in 1937 to provide water storage for irrigation for the Duck Valley Indian Reservation. The original dam was repl… |