Largest lakes & reservoirs in Georgia 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 40 articles we have published for Georgia lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US South Region > Georgia > Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in Georgia, only the 40 Georgia lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Surface area in acres |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| J. Strom Thurmond Lake, GA/SC (Classic South Region, GA, Georgia, Old 96 District, SC, South Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
71,000 ac | Also known as Lake Strom Thurmond, J. Strom Thurmond Reservoir, Clarks Hill Lake, Thurmond Lake J. Strom Thurmond Lake, aka Clarks Hill Lake, holds the title of second largest artificial lake east of the Mississippi River. Straddling the Georgia-… |
| Hartwell Lake, GA/SC (Georgia, Northeast Georgia Mountains Region, South Carolina, The Upcountry, SC, US South Region, USA) |
55,900 ac | Also known as Lake Hartwell So large it covers parts of six counties in two states, Lake Hartwell draws millions of visitors a year to play on its 56,000 acres of water. With ple… |
| Walter F. George Lake, AL/GA (Alabama, Georgia, Plantation Trace Region, GA, Presidential Pathways Region, GA, River Heritage Region, AL, US South Region, USA) |
45,180 ac | Also known as Eufaula Lake, Walter F. George Reservoir, Lake Chattahoochee Walter F. George Lake straddles 85 miles of the Georgia/Alabama border along the Chattahoochee River. Visitors will see varying names for the lake dep… |
| Lake Lanier, GA (Georgia, Northeast Georgia Mountains Region, US South Region, USA) |
38,000 ac | Also known as Lake Sidney Lanier Lake Sidney Lanier, better known as Lake Lanier, stretches out over 38,000 acres and 692 miles of shoreline along the foothills of the Blue Ridge Moun… |
| Lake Seminole, FL/GA (Florida, Georgia, Panhandle West Region, FL, Plantation Trace Region, GA, US South Region, USA) |
37,500 ac | Lake Seminole divides its 37,500 watery acres between Georgia and Florida. The lake is conveniently located about 40 miles northwest of Tallahassee, F… |
| Weiss Lake, AL/GA (Alabama, Georgia, Historic High Country Region, GA, Mountains Region, AL, US South Region, USA) |
30,200 ac | The self proclaimed “Crappie Capital of the World,” Weiss Lake is a fantastic destination for anglers and the entire family. The lake is in Cherokee C… |
| Richard B. Russell Lake, GA/SC (Georgia, Northeast Georgia Mountains Region, Old 96 District, SC, South Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
26,650 ac | Also known as Lake Russell Richard B. Russell Lake, sometimes nicknamed Lake Russell, claims 26,650 sparkling acres and 540 miles of shoreline on the Georgia-South Carolina stat… |
| West Point Lake, AL/GA (Alabama, Georgia, Metropolitan Region, AL, Presidential Pathways Region, GA, US South Region, USA) |
25,900 ac | West Point Lake, located on the Alabama-Georgia border just north of I-85, stretches 35 miles along the Chattahoochee River. The 25,900-acre reservoir… |
| Lake Oconee, GA (Classic South Region, GA, Georgia, Historic Heartland Region, GA, US South Region, USA) |
18,971 ac | Lake Oconee takes its name from a group of Creek Indians that long ago lived close to Georgia’s Oconee River basin. “Oconee” is purported to mean “gre… |
| Lake Sinclair, GA (Classic South Region, GA, Georgia, Historic Heartland Region, GA, US South Region, USA) |
15,330 ac | Also known as Sinclair Lake With 15,330 acres of sparkling water against the backdrop of the Oconee National Forest, Lake Sinclair in Georgia is an outdoor enthusiast’s premier d… |
| Lake Allatoona, GA (Georgia, Historic High Country Region, GA, US South Region, USA) |
12,010 ac | Also known as Allatoona Lake Lake Allatoona, located northwest of Atlanta, is one of the most visited Army Corps of Engineers lakes in the United States. With a shoreline of 270 m… |
| Lake Blackshear, GA (Georgia, Presidential Pathways Region, GA, US South Region, USA) |
8,700 ac | One of the best-kept secrets in southwest Georgia is Lake Blackshear. Conveniently located two hours south of Atlanta and 99 miles from Florida off I-… |