Largest lakes & reservoirs in 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 2151 articles we have published for lakes.
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Below are lakes within Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in , only the 2151 lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Surface area in acres |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lewis and Clark Lake, NE/SD (Lewis and Clark Region, NE, Nebraska, South Dakota, Southeast Region, SD, US Midwest Region, USA) |
28,000 ac | Stretching 25 miles long and straddling the Nebraska and South Dakota border, 28,000-acre Lewis and Clark Lake is the smallest of the Missouri River r… |
| Potholes Reservoir, WA (North Central Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
27,800 ac | Potholes Reservoir was formed by the building of the O’Sullivan Dam which is one of the largest earthfill dams in the United States. The name “pothole… |
| Dale Hollow Lake, KY/TN (Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Southern Lakes Region, KY, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
27,700 ac | Also known as Dale Hollow Reservoir Dale Hollow Lake, straddling the Kentucky-Tennessee border, is an artificial lake that was formed by damming the Obey and Cumberland Rivers. As with m… |
| Lake Istokpoga, FL (Florida, South Florida, US South Region, USA) |
27,692 ac | Lake Istokpoga, located in Highlands County, is Florida’s fifth largest lake and stretches out over 27,692 Florida acres. With a maximum length of 10… |
| Lake Fork, TX (Piney Woods Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
27,264 ac | Also known as Lake Fork Reservoir Lake Fork (also called Lake Fork Reservoir) covers an impressive 27,264 acres in northeast Texas, on the border of the Piney Woods and Prairies and La… |
| Lake Sniardwy (Northern Poland, Poland, Warmia-Masuria Region, Northern Poland) |
27,182 ac | Lake Sniardwy is located in the Masurian Lake District of northeastern Poland and is the largest lake in the country. With 27,182 acres of crystal blu… |
| Masurian Lakes District, Poland (Northern Poland, Poland, Warmia-Masuria Region, Northern Poland) |
27,182 ac | The Masurian Lake District of Poland is the most sought-after vacation destination in central Europe for lake lovers. Containing over 2000 lakes, most… |
| Banks Lake, WA (North Central Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
27,000 ac | Banks Lake is a 27 mile equalizing reservoir and part of the Columbia Basin Project, a major water resource project to provide irrigation water to fer… |
| Lower Lough Erne (Fermanagh Region, Northern Ireland, Northern Ireland Region, United Kingdom, United Kingdom) |
26,934 ac | Also known as Lower Lake Erne, Lake Earne Lower Lough (Lake) Erne is one of several lakes on the beautiful River Erne in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The River Erne begins in County Cav… |
| Great Sacandaga Lake, NY (Adirondacks Region, NY, Capital-Saratoga Region, NY, New York, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
26,880 ac | Also known as Great Sacanadaga Reservoir Great Sacandaga Lake, located in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, is a reservoir built to control flooding on the Hudson River and the Sacandaga… |
| 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… |
| Richard B. Russell Lake, GA/SC (Georgia, Northeast Georgia Mountains Region, Old 96 District, SC, South Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
26,650 ac | Also known as Lake Russell Richard B. Russell Lake, sometimes nicknamed Lake Russell, claims 26,650 sparkling acres and 540 miles of shoreline on the Georgia-South Carolina stat… |