Largest lakes & reservoirs in Louisiana 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 11 articles we have published for Louisiana lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US South Region > Louisiana > Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in Louisiana, only the 11 Louisiana lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Surface area in acres |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Pontchartrain, LA (Greater New Orleans Region, LA, Louisiana, US South Region, USA) |
403,200 ac | Lake Pontchartrain technically isn’t a lake at all. In scientific circles, it’s referred to as an estuary. That’s really just a fancy way to say that… |
| Toledo Bend Reservoir, LA/TX (Crossroads Region, LA, Louisiana, Piney Woods Region, TX, Texas, US South Region, US Southwest Region, USA) |
181,600 ac | Also known as Toledo Bend Lake A grand experience is assured in visiting Toledo Bend Reservoir, renowned as the largest man-made aquatic body in the southern United States. Cradled… |
| Caddo Lake, LA/TX (Louisiana, Piney Woods Region, TX, Sportsman's Paradise Region, LA, Texas, US South Region, US Southwest Region, USA) |
26,810 ac | Caddo Lake covers an impressive 26,800 acres and straddles the border of Texas and Louisiana. The lake is a maze of interconnected waterways, heavily… |
| Bayou D’Arbonne Lake (Louisiana, Sportsman's Paradise Region, LA, US South Region, USA) |
15,250 ac | Also known as Lake D'Arbonne Bayou D’Arbonne Lake covers 15,250 acres in northern Louisiana’s Sportsman’s Paradise tourism region, near the Arkansas and Mississippi borders. Fed m… |
| Felsenthal Lock and Dam, AR/LA (Arkansas, Louisiana, Sportsman's Paradise Region, LA, Timberlands Region, AR, US South Region, USA) |
15,000 ac | Also known as Lack Jack Lee The Felsenthal Lock and Dam, also known as Lake Jack Lee, is located in South Central Arkansas at the confluence of the Ouachita and Saline Rivers. A… |
| Lac Des Allemands, LA (Greater New Orleans Region, LA, Louisiana, US South Region, USA) |
12,000 ac | Lac Des Allemands is a natural 12,000-acre lake located about 25 miles west of New Orleans. The lake name is French for Lake of the Germans, referring… |
| Cross Lake, LA (Louisiana, Sportsman's Paradise Region, LA, US South Region, USA) |
8,575 ac | Cross Lake is a popular fishing and boating lake near Shreveport in Northwest Louisiana. The 8,575 acre freshwater reservoir supplies water to the cit… |
| Lake Claiborne, LA (Louisiana, Sportsman's Paradise Region, LA, US South Region, USA) |
6,400 ac | Lake Claiborne is well known as the “Best Kept Secret in Louisiana.” Also referred to as Louisiana’s purest lake, the quality of the water makes Lake… |
| Lake Kincaid, LA (Crossroads Region, LA, Louisiana, US South Region, USA) |
2,600 ac | Also known as Kincaid Reservoir or Kincaid Lake In the Crossroads region of Louisiana, the bayous, wetlands, pine-covered hills and farms meet. So too do the diversity of Cajun, Anglo, French, Creol… |
| Lake Saint John, LA (Crossroads Region, LA, Louisiana, US South Region, USA) |
2,175 ac | One of the hottest bass fishing lakes in Louisiana is Lake Saint John located in Concordia Parish. With stands of cypress trees lining its banks, this… |
| Black River Lake and Cocodrie Lake (Crossroads Region, LA, Louisiana, US South Region, USA) |
1,792 ac | Also known as Cocodrie Lake Complex The Cocodrie Lake Complex, consisting of Black River Lake and Cocodrie Lake, is one of those places that could only exist in the delta lands of the mi… |