Largest lakes & reservoirs in North Dakota 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 8 articles we have published for North Dakota lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > North Dakota > Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in North Dakota, only the 8 North Dakota lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Surface area in acres |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Sakakawea, ND (North Dakota, Northwest Region, ND, US Midwest Region, USA) |
382,000 ac | The second-largest reservoir by surface acreage in the United States (and third-largest in volume), Lake Sakakawea stretches 178 miles from Garrison D… |
| Lake Oahe, ND/SD (Great Lakes Region, SD, North Dakota, South Central Region, ND, South Dakota, Southwest Region, ND, US Midwest Region, USA) |
206,100 ac | Lake Oahe, named after an Oahe Indian Mission, roughly translates “a foundation” or “a place to stand on.” Spanning 231 miles from Pierre, South Dakot… |
| Devil’s Lake, ND (North Central Region, ND, North Dakota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
161,280 ac | Also known as Devils Lake Spring 2011: Water levels continue to rise with melting snow and spring rains, reaching 1,453 feet above sea level and about 177,000 acres in April. A… |
| Lake Darling, ND (North Dakota, Northwest Region, ND, US Midwest Region, USA) |
9,502 ac | Lake Darling is the focal point of the Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge located in northwest North Dakota. The Refuge is beautifully situated alo… |
| Lake Ashtabula, ND (North Dakota, Southeast Region, ND, US Midwest Region, USA) |
5,234 ac | Lake Ashtabula is located among the gentle rolling prairies of southeastern North Dakota. Stretching 27 miles along the Sheyenne River, Lake Ashtabula… |
| Bowman Haley Lake, ND (North Dakota, Southwest Region, ND, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1,740 ac | Also known as Bowman-Haley Lake Bowman Haley Lake, located in Southwestern North Dakota, was once a Sioux hunting ground. Bowman Haley Lake is now a 1,740-acre lake surrounded by rol… |
| Lake Metigoshe (Canada, Manitoba, Canada, North Central Region, ND, North Dakota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1,544 ac | One of the best spots for water recreation in North Dakota’s North Central region is Lake Metigoshe. Often called the ‘Jewel of the Turtle Mountains’,… |
| Pipestem Lake, ND (North Dakota, South Central Region, ND, US Midwest Region, USA) |
840 ac | Pipestem Lake stretches five and a half miles long on Pipestem Creek in south-central North Dakota, just a few miles north of Jamestown. With 840 acre… |