Highest elevation lakes & reservoirs in Utah by altitude
While lake levels can flucuate frequently based on several circumstances, the altitude/elevation of a lake is based on its normal water level, measured by the lake’s surface distance above sea level. For a reservoir, this water level is also known as “full pond” or “full pool”.Low lake levels can occur due to deliberate seasonal draw downs for irrigation or impending snow melt, reduced water inflows, drought and evaporation, residential or commercial water demands, and hydropower generation. Some lakes’ minimum and maximum elevations are virtually the same. Lakes that generate hydropower may vary by several feet – according to power demand. Lakes whose primary purpose is to prevent flooding can seasonally vary by 100 feet or more. When some lakes reach their minimum elevation, their boat ramps may not be long enough to permit boat access – and boats docked on shallow parts of the lake may end up on dry ground. In those cases, kayakers and shore-based anglers may be among the few happy recreational users of the lake.
A lake’s highest water level, measured by the lake’s surface distance above sea level, that can occur during flooding. A lake’s highest possible maximum elevation is usually the top of the lake’s dam or spillway. At lakes that include residential development, government regulations usually forbid the construction of homes below a lake’s maximum elevation.
You can find many of the world’s highest-elevated lakes on LakeLubbers. Lakes with the lowest elevations (known by LakeLubbers) are shown on the final page of that list. Note: For some lakes, "Altitude/Elevation" data is unknown, so this table may display fewer lakes than the total 23 articles we have published for Utah lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US West Region > Utah > Compared by highest altitude/elevation in feet. This list does not represent all lakes in Utah, only the 23 Utah lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Elevation in feet | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Strawberry Reservoir, UT (Mountainland Region, UT, US West Region, USA, Utah) |
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 Wa… |
Jordanelle Reservoir, UT (Mountainland Region, UT, US West Region, USA, Utah) |
6,182 ft | Jordanelle Reservoir is one of the newest reservoirs in Utah. The Jordanelle Dam was constructed on the Provo River by the Bureau of Reclamation in 19… |
Flaming Gorge Reservoir, UT/WY (Dinosaurland Region, UT, Southwest Wyoming, US West Region, USA, Utah, Wyoming) |
6,040 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… |
Echo Reservoir, UT (Mountainland Region, UT, US West Region, USA, Utah) |
5,570 ft | Echo Reservoir sits almost smack in the middle of the countryside between Salt Lake City and the Utah/Wyoming border. It’s hard to miss, as Interstate… |
Deer Creek Reservoir, UT (Mountainland Region, UT, US West Region, USA, Utah) |
5,425 ft | Deer Creek Reservoir is located near Heber, Utah, the home of the historic “Heber Creeper,” a train with a steam engine that takes tourists on trips f… |
Great Salt Lake, UT (Great Salt Lake Country, UT, Ogden & Northwest Region, UT, US West Region, USA, Utah) |
4,212 ft | Also known as America's Dead Sea Sometimes called “America’s Dead Sea,” the Great Salt Lake occupies approximately 1,700 square miles of Utah’s real estate. It is the second largest l… |
Lake Powell, AZ/UT (Arizona, Canyonlands Region, UT, Color Country, UT, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, Utah) |
3,700 ft | Lake Powell is located in one of Southern Utah’s most picturesque red-rock desert areas and in Arizona’s Navajo Indian Reservation. It is one of the U… |