Largest lakes & reservoirs in New Mexico 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 10 articles we have published for New Mexico lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Southwest Region > New Mexico > Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in New Mexico, only the 10 New Mexico lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Surface area in acres |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Elephant Butte Lake, NM (New Mexico, Southwest New Mexico, NM, US Southwest Region, USA) |
36,500 ac | Also known as The Butte, Elephant Butte Reservoir With limited lake options in New Mexico, Elephant Butte Lake is a popular destination for water enthusiasts and nature lovers alike in the Land of Enc… |
| Navajo Lake NM (Colorado, New Mexico, Northwest New Mexico, NM, Southeast Colorado, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA) |
15,610 ac | Also known as Navajo Reservoir Navajo Lake offers a surprising and welcome expanse of water in northwestern New Mexico. The 15,600-acre reservoir stretches north into southwest Colo… |
| Caballo Lake (New Mexico, Southwest New Mexico, NM, US Southwest Region, USA) |
11,500 ac | Also known as Caballo Reservoir One of the little-known treasures in New Mexico’s Southwest region is Caballo Lake. This 11,000-acre reservoir along the Rio Grande River escapes the… |
| Conchas Lake, NM (New Mexico, Northeast New Mexico, NM, US Southwest Region, USA) |
9,600 ac | Conchas Lake stretches 11 miles southwest along the Conchas River, and about 14 miles along the South Canadian River in eastern New Mexico. Located no… |
| Abiquiu Lake, NM (New Mexico, North-Central, NM, US Southwest Region, USA) |
5,200 ac | Also known as Abiquiu Reservoir Abiquiu Lake, located in Rio Arriba County in North-Central New Mexico, offers recreation areas for swimming, camping, fishing, boating, canoeing, kay… |
| Brantley Lake (New Mexico, Southeast New Mexico, NM, US Southwest Region, USA) |
4,000 ac | Also known as Brantley Reservior No place in Southeast New Mexico represents water recreation like Brantley Lake. The relatively new reservoir has a state park along its shores, compl… |
| Santa Rosa Lake, NM (New Mexico, Northeast New Mexico, NM, US Southwest Region, USA) |
3,544 ac | Santa Rosa Lake is snuggled in the Pecos River Canyon near the town of Santa Rosa along NM 91 in Guadalupe County. It is cradled on one side with acre… |
| El Vado Lake, NM (New Mexico, North-Central, NM, US Southwest Region, USA) |
3,200 ac | Also known as El Vado Reservoir El Vado Lake, situated in New Mexico’s northern mountains, is located west of Tierra Amarilla in Rio Arriba Counnty. Surrounded by acres of mixed juni… |
| Cochiti Lake, NM (New Mexico, North-Central, NM, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,200 ac | Stretching 7 miles long on the Rio Grande River, Cochiti Lake is located in Sandoval County, New Mexico, about 20 miles west of Santa Fe and 60 miles… |
| Fenton Lake (New Mexico, Northwest New Mexico, NM, US Southwest Region, USA) |
37 ac | Tucked away in the Jemez Mountains of Northwest New Mexico, little Fenton Lake carries a large part of the recreational opportunities in the area. Les… |