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 Mendota, WI (Southern Savanna Region, WI, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
9,842 ac | Also known as Yahara Chain of Lakes Sometimes called the “City of 4 Lakes,” Madison in Dane County is the capital of Wisconsin and its second largest city. Its “Lake, City, Lake” tradema… |
| Lake Biel-Bienne (Bern Region, Switzerland, Neuchatel Region, Switzerland, Switzerland) |
9,711 ac | Also known as Lake Biel, Bielersee, Lac de Bienne Lake Biel-Bienne leads the parade of three lakes at the foot of the Jura Mountains region of Switzerland. Located in the Bern and Neuchatel cantons (s… |
| Crystal Lake, MI (Michigan, Northwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
9,711 ac | Also known as Cap Lake Crystal Lake, in northwestern Michigan’s Benzie County, wouldn’t be the beautiful sandy-shored lake it is today without the “Tragedy of Crystal Lake”.… |
| Lake Nakuru (Kenya, Rift Valley Region, Kenya) |
9,664 ac | Lake Nakuru is the most-visited lake in the country of Kenya. That might seem odd once people realize that this alkaline lake in Kenya’s East Rift Val… |
| 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… |
| Lake Anna, VA (Central Virginia, Northern Virginia Region, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
9,600 ac | Lake Anna, covering 13,000 acres of central Virginia, is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the state. It spans Virginia’s Northern and Central to… |
| Cheney Reservoir, KS (Kansas, South Central Kansas, US Midwest Region, USA) |
9,537 ac | Also known as Cheney Lake Cheney Reservoir is the premier recreation spot for outdoor activity in south central Kansas. Constructed by the Bureau of Reclamation, it was complet… |
| 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… |
| Loch Awe (Central Scotland, Scotland, United Kingdom, United Kingdom) |
9,514 ac | Also known as Lake Awe Scenic Loch Awe is located in central Scotland’s Argyll and Bute Council region. Renowned for its trout fishing, the lake is a fantastic holiday getaw… |
| John Martin Reservoir, CO (Colorado, Southeast Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
9,503 ac | Standing among the large boulders on the gravel shore watching bald eagles soar over the water, it’s easy to believe that John Martin Reservoir is an… |
| 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 Griffin (East Central Florida, Florida, US South Region, USA) |
9,428 ac | Headwaters of the Ocklawaha River, 9,500-acre Lake Griffin offers a bit of everything to Harris Chain of Lakes visitors. The long, shallow lake is the… |