Largest lakes & reservoirs in Kentucky 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 17 articles we have published for Kentucky lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US South Region > Kentucky > Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in Kentucky, only the 17 Kentucky lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Surface area in acres |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Kentucky Lake, KY/TN (Kentucky, Tennessee, US South Region, USA, West Tennessee, Western Waterlands Region, KY) |
160,309 ac | Kentucky Lake is the largest man-made lake east of the Mississippi when measured by surface acres at “full pond,” the normal water level: 184 miles lo… |
| Lake Barkley, KY/TN (Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA, Western Waterlands Region, KY) |
57,920 ac | Lake Barkley is one of the premier recreational destinations in Western Kentucky. The reservoir was created by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1966 for… |
| Lake Cumberland, KY (Kentucky, Southern Lakes Region, KY, US South Region, USA) |
50,250 ac | Lake Cumberland boasts an impressive 50,250 acres and 1,255 miles of winding shoreline at its normal full pool level of 723 feet above sea level. The… |
| Dale Hollow Lake, KY/TN (Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Southern Lakes Region, KY, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
27,700 ac | Also known as Dale Hollow Reservoir Dale Hollow Lake, straddling the Kentucky-Tennessee border, is an artificial lake that was formed by damming the Obey and Cumberland Rivers. As with m… |
| Reelfoot Lake, KY/TN (Kentucky, Tennessee, US South Region, USA, West Tennessee, Western Waterlands Region, KY) |
10,427 ac | Reelfoot Lake makes its home in northwestern Tennessee and extends into southern Kentucky. The lake is young: popular history says that after the New… |
| Barren River Lake, KY (Caves, Lakes & Corvettes Region, KY, Kentucky, US South Region, USA) |
10,100 ac | Barren River Lake, located in south-central Kentucky, is one of the state’s hidden jewels, covering over 10,100 acres. The lake was created by the Lou… |
| Cave Run Lake, KY (Appalachians Region, KY, Kentucky, US South Region, USA) |
8,270 ac | Cave Run Lake, located in the Eastern Highlands Region of Kentucky, is an 8,270-acre manmade reservoir. Originally built by the U.S. Army Corps of Eng… |
| Green River Lake, KY (Kentucky, Southern Lakes Region, KY, US South Region, USA) |
8,210 ac | The children scrambled after each other, racing up the steps to the slide. Then they were off – sliding and squealing landing with a splash in the wat… |
| Nolin River Lake, KY (Caves, Lakes & Corvettes Region, KY, Kentucky, US South Region, USA) |
5,795 ac | Tucked into the hills of south central Kentucky, 5,795 acre Nolin River Lake shares residence among Edmonson, Grayson, and Hart counties. Created by t… |
| Laurel River Lake, KY (Daniel Boone Country, KY, Kentucky, US South Region, USA) |
5,600 ac | Laurel River Lake was created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1974 to provide flood control and hydroelectric power to its neighboring areas, b… |
| Rough River Lake, KY (Kentucky, Kentucky Derby Region, KY, US South Region, USA) |
5,100 ac | Straddling the Grayson, Breckinridge, and Hardin County lines in south central Kentucky, Rough River Lake is a 5,100 acre reservoir completed in 1951… |
| Taylorsville Lake, KY (Kentucky, Kentucky Derby Region, KY, US South Region, USA) |
3,050 ac | Located in central Kentucky just 25 miles southeast of Louisville is 3,050 acre Taylorsville Lake. Created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1983… |