Largest lakes & reservoirs in Northeast 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 24 articles we have published for Northeast Minnesota lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > Minnesota > Northeast Minnesota > Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in Northeast Minnesota, only the 24 Northeast 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… |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| 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… |
| Saganaga Lake, MN / Canada (Canada, Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, Ontario, Canada, US Midwest Region, USA) |
13,832 ac | The 13,832 acres of Saganaga Lake straddle the border of Northeastern Minnesota and Ontario, Canada. Part of the well known Boundary Waters Canoe Area… |
| Pelican Lake-St. Louis County, MN (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
10,945 ac | Pelican Lake lies adjacent to the small town of Orr in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Pelican Lake has 54 miles of shoreline and is peppered with 53 isl… |
| Bowstring Lake (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
9,528 ac | Be it fishing, wakeboarding, canoeing or just simply wildlife watching, Bowstring Lake fulfills its visitors every vacation need. Set in Itasca County… |
| Burntside Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
7,314 ac | Burntside Lake is an impressive nine-mile long lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota. With a surface area of 7,314 acres and no motor restrictions, Burn… |
| Pokegama Lake (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
6,612 ac | Also known as Lake Pokegama Pokegama Lake has been a premier vacation destination for over 100 years. Located on the southwestern side of Grand Rapids, Minnesota in Itasca County… |
| Big Sandy Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
6,263 ac | Big Sandy Lake is located in Minnesota’s northeast Aitkin County, home to over one million acres of hardwood forest and 365 lakes. With the majority o… |