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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Arenal, Costa Rica (Alajuela Region, Costa Rica, Costa Rica, Guanacaste Region, Costa Rica) |
21,128 ac | Also known as Lago Arenal, Laguna de Arenal Lake Arenal, flanked by lush rainforest and the magnificent Arenal Volcano, is a world-class destination lake. Known for its feisty rainbow bass and i… |
| Lake Conroe, TX (Piney Woods Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
20,985 ac | Houstonians often enjoy weekend getaways at Lake Conroe, a beautiful manmade lake in the Piney Woods region of eastern Texas. Lake Conroe is home to n… |
| Smith Mountain Lake, VA (Blue Ridge Highlands, VA, Central Virginia, Southern Virginia Region, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
20,800 ac | Also known as Jewel of the Blue Ridge With emerald green shores, sapphire blue skies, topaz blue waters, and soaring surrounding mountains, it’s clear why Smith Mountain Lake is nicknamed… |
| Lake Thingvallavatn (Iceland, Southwest Iceland Region, Iceland) |
20,757 ac | Also known as Lake Thingvalla Lake Thingvallavatn (Icelandic), also known as Lake Thingvalla (English) is the largest natural lake in Iceland, boasting a surface area of 20,757 acr… |
| Lake Havasu, AZ/CA (Arizona, California, Desert Region, CA, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, West Coast Region, AZ) |
20,400 ac | Lake Havasu’s 20,400 acres, formed behind Parker Dam on the Colorado River, is a boating paradise. Around Lake Havasu City, the most recognizable sigh… |
| Belgrade Lakes, ME (Kennebec & Moose River Valleys Region, ME, Maine, US New England Region, USA) |
20,311 ac | Also known as Long Pond, East Pond, Great Pond, Messalonskee Lake, McGrath Pond, North Pond, Salmon Lake American writer E.B. White put the Belgrade Lakes Chain on the map with his piece “Once More to the Lake”: “Summertime, oh, summertime, pattern of lif… |
| Lake Gaston, NC/VA (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, Southern Virginia Region, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
20,300 ac | Lake Gaston covers 20,300 acres along 34 miles of Virginia and North Carolina real estate. The lake was created in 1963 by the Virginia Electric and P… |
| Seminoe Reservoir, WY (Central Wyoming, US West Region, USA, Wyoming) |
20,291 ac | Seminoe Reservoir is an outdoor person’s wonderland with great fishing and an over 20,000 acre surface for boating and water sports. Near the north en… |
| Houghton Lake, MI (Michigan, Northeast Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
20,044 ac | Houghton Lake is a shallow, marshy lake with a sandy, gravely bottom. Warm in the summer, freezing over during the winter months, and staying cool dur… |
| Boysen Reservoir (Central Wyoming, US West Region, USA, Wyoming) |
20,000 ac | Also known as Boysen Lake Its gleaming expanse framed by the barren high desert hills of Central Wyoming, Boysen Reservoir offers a welcome respite from the summer heat. Nearly… |
| Lake Berryessa, CA (California, Central Valley Region, CA, US West Region, USA) |
20,000 ac | Lake Berryessa, nestled into the heart of California’s wine country, is the largest lake in Napa County. The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation built the Mont… |
| Gull Lake, AB (Alberta, Canada, Canada) |
19,917 ac | Surrounded by Alberta’s wide-open spaces and endless Canadian skies, Gull Lake is located in Alberta’s Central tourism region. Well situated between E… |