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 Bemidji, MN (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
6,420 ac | Also known as Bemidji Lake A cornucopia of soothing sound, rejuvenating sights and the invigorating scents of nature at work, Lake Bemidji is one of Minnesota’s natural gems. A… |
| Lac qui Parle, MN (Minnesota, Southern Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
6,400 ac | Thousands of feathered creatures gather here, nesting, breeding and chattering about things only birds would know about. For the myriad sounds the bir… |
| Lake Kalamalka, BC (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
6,400 ac | Also known as Kalamalka Lake, Kal Lake Sitting at the edge of the cliff, he watches the water swirl in ribbons of color from pale blue-green to indigo. Overhead, the sunset turns the sky la… |
| Gainesville Lake, AL (Alabama, Metropolitan Region, AL, US South Region, USA) |
6,400 ac | Also known as Gainesville Reservoir Gainesville Lake is a long riverine 40-mile lake in Alabama’s bustling Metropolitan region. It is in a prime location surrounded by the wooded green o… |
| Tom Steed Lake, OK (Great Plains Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
6,400 ac | Also known as Tom Steed Reservoir Tom Steed Lake lies on West Otter Creek, nestled in the heart of the Great Plains Country, north of the Oklahoma-Texas border. Boasting 31 miles of sh… |
| Lake Claiborne, LA (Louisiana, Sportsman's Paradise Region, LA, US South Region, USA) |
6,400 ac | Lake Claiborne is well known as the “Best Kept Secret in Louisiana.” Also referred to as Louisiana’s purest lake, the quality of the water makes Lake… |
| Lake Osakis, MN (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
6,361 ac | Also known as Osakis Lake Lake Osakis, stretched across the prairie in the Central Region of Minnesota, has been a vacation destination for several generations of ‘lake lubbers… |
| Waldo Lake, OR (Central Oregon, Oregon, US West Region, USA) |
6,298 ac | Waldo Lake is the second deepest natural lake in Oregon, sporting an impressive 420-feet deep pool of beautiful clear water with visibility exceeding… |
| Lake Hiwassee, NC (Mountains Region, NC, North Carolina, US South Region, USA) |
6,275 ac | Also known as Hiwassee Reservoir or Hiwassee Lake Lake Hiwassee is located in the mountainous region of North Carolina’s southwestern Cherokee County. Sitting in the Nantahala National Forest, it is a… |
| 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… |
| Lake Altus-Lugert, OK (Great Plains Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
6,260 ac | Also known as Lugert-Altus Reservoir Lake Altus-Lugert is a 6,260-acre reservoir nestled in the Great Plains region of Southwest Oklahoma. The lake is located 17 miles north of the town o… |
| Christina Lake, BC (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
6,202 ac | Also known as Oasis of the Kootenays Consistently rated one of Canada’s most popular family vacation destinations, Christina Lake offers some of the warmest lake waters in Canada. Located… |