Largest lakes & reservoirs in Minnesota 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 116 articles we have published for Minnesota lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > Minnesota > Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in Minnesota, only the 116 Minnesota lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Surface area in acres |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Superior (Canada, Great Lakes of North America, Lake Superior Northwoods Region, WI, Michigan, Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, Ontario, Canada, US Midwest Region, USA, Upper Peninsula Region, MI, Wisconsin) |
20,288,000 ac | Skipping over state and country borders, Lake Superior, the largest, deepest, coldest, cleanest, least developed, and most pristine of the Great Lakes… |
| Lake of the Woods, MN / Canada (Canada, Manitoba, Canada, Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, Ontario, Canada, US Midwest Region, USA) |
950,400 ac | Spanning the border from Minnesota into the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, Lake of the Woods is an enormous body of water over 68 miles l… |
| Rainy Lake, MN / Canada (Canada, Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, Ontario, Canada, US Midwest Region, USA) |
221,000 ac | Rainy Lake’s sprawling 221,000 acres straddle the border of the United States and Canada. Known as a water sports lover’s paradise, Rainy Lake is loca… |
| Mille Lacs Lake, MN (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
132,516 ac | Also known as Lake Mille Lacs August 2015 Update: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources issued an order August 2, 2015 banning walleye fishing for the rest of the season. T… |
| Upper Red Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
119,271 ac | Nestled in the Northwest Region of Minnesota, Upper Red Lake has an incredible comeback story and is becoming a popular vacation place for the second… |
| Leech Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
102,948 ac | With over 120,000 acres of water and 316 miles of shoreline, Leech Lake is the third largest lake located entirely in Minnesota, the “Land of 10,000 L… |
| Lake Winnibigoshish, MN (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
58,544 ac | Also known as Lake Winnie Lake Winnibigoshish is a legend among Minnesota lakes. The lake’s impressive size, covering more than 58,500 acres, reaches into both the Northwest an… |
| Lake Vermilion, MN (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
40,557 ac | Known as “Lake of the Sunset Glow” by its ancient Ojibwe inhabitants, northeastern Minnesota’s sunny Lake Vermilion is a positively ideal getaway. Thi… |
| Kabetogama Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
25,760 ac | Also known as Lake Kabetogama Located just a few miles from the Canadian border in St. Louis County, Minnesota’s Kabetogama Lake is every bit as unique as its name implies. This fr… |
| Lake Pepin, MN/WI (Minnesota, Mississippi-Chippewa Rivers Region, WI, Southern Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
25,600 ac | Lake Pepin is the largest lake on the Mississippi River, formed about 9,500 years ago by the backup of water behind sediments where the Chippewa River… |
| Namakan Lake (Canada, Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, Ontario, Canada, US Midwest Region, USA) |
24,066 ac | Also known as Namakan Reservoir Namakan Lake’s delights await the lucky visitor. Covering more than 24,000 acres with many small islands, about half of the lake is located in Minneso… |
| Cass Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
15,956 ac | Cass Lake is, without a doubt, one of Minnesota’s natural treasures. Its scenic beauty is only surpassed by its rich history, unique features and the… |