Largest lakes & reservoirs in British Columbia, Canada by acres
There is no widely-accepted minimum surface area that defines a lake. What LakeLubbers describes as a lake, you might call a pond. Acreage of a lake (or sometimes square kilometers) is most often measured at the top surface area when the lake is at normal elevation. The surface area can be considerably smaller or larger when lake levels are lower or higher than normal. North America’s Lake Superior is the world’s largest freshwater lake by this measure.The other measure of a lake’s size is the lake’s water volume. By that measure, the world’s largest freshwater lake is Lake Baikal in Siberia.
You can find many of the world’s largest lakes (acres) on LakeLubbers in the comparison table below. Note: For some lakes, "Largest Lakes - Acres" data is unknown or does not apply, so you may see fewer lakes than the total 45 articles we have published for British Columbia, Canada lakes.
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Below are lakes within Canada > British Columbia, Canada > Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in British Columbia, Canada, only the 45 British Columbia, Canada lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Surface area in acres | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Kootenay Lake, BC (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
96,124 ac | Also known as Lake Kootenay Kootenay Lake’s deep, clear waters stretch over 60 miles and 96,000 acres, reflecting the icy peaks of Kokanee Glacier. The lake is beautiful, ringed… |
Okanagan Lake, BC (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
86,733 ac | Also known as Lake Okanagan Okanagan Lake, located in British Columbia’s Napa of the North Country, is a vacationer’s paradise. Its sheer size and convenient location make this w… |
Shuswap Lake, BC (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
76,502 ac | With 889 miles of shoreline and a multitude of provincial parks, 76,602-acre Shuswap Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia offers unlimite… |
Harrison Lake (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
53,799 ac | Also known as Lake Harrison, Lake Qualts, Lake Kwals Found in Canada’s beautiful Fraser Valley, Harrison Lake is the largest body of fresh water in southwestern British Columbia. Located 75 miles (120 ki… |
Lake Koocanusa, MT / Canada (British Columbia, Canada, Canada, Glacier Country, MT, Montana, US West Region, USA) |
46,720 ac | Also known as Koocanusa Lake, Koocanusa Reservoir In the far north of the United States, tucked into the northwestern end of Montana, is the long, narrow Lake Koocanusa. This lake is actually a man-ma… |
Adams Lake (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
34,001 ac | Located in southern British Columbia amid the Columbia Mountains, Adams Lake is a more remote and less developed neighbor to nearby Shuswap Lake. Cove… |
Pitt Lake (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
19,019 ac | North America’s largest freshwater tidal lake is impressive 19,000-acre Pitt Lake near Vancouver. Nestled in a valley north of the Fraser River, Pitt… |
Slocan Lake (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
17,114 ac | Also known as The Slocan Beautiful Slocan Lake occupies a scenic portion of British Columbia’s Slocan River Valley. This natural undammed lake is unusual as it has no major ri… |
Mabel Lake (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
14,795 ac | Located in south central British Columbia, Mabel Lake shares its shore with Mabel Lake Provincial Park and private development. Found in the midst of… |
Horsefly Lake (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
14,494 ac | Horsefly Lake is a 34-mile long lake winding gently through the Cariboo Regional District in south central British Columbia. Located approximately one… |
Stave Lake and Hayward Lake (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
14,332 ac | Also known as Stave Reservoir, Hayward Reservoir Stave Lake and Hayward Lake are reservoirs located about an hour east of Vancouver in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley. Managed by BC Hydro, these lak… |
Great Central Lake (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
12,602 ac | Also known as Central Lake One of the most popular spots on a hot summer day on Vancouver Island is Great Central Lake. Long and narrow, nestled beneath low mountains, Great Cen… |