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 |
|---|---|---|
| Whatcom Lake, WA (Northwest Washington & Islands, WA, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
5,003 ac | Also known as Lake Whatcom Whatcom Lake is a 5,000-acre natural lake surrounded by mountainous terrain located in Whatcom County, Washington. Whatcom is from a Nooksack Indian w… |
| Pine Creek Lake, OK (Kiamichi Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
4,980 ac | Also known as Pine Creek Reservoir Pine Creek Lake, flowing north to south in the Kaimichi Region of Oklahoma, covers 3,750 acres of recreation and wildlife paradise. Authorized by the… |
| Loch Shiel (Highlands & Moray Region, Scotland, Scotland, United Kingdom, United Kingdom) |
4,942 ac | Also known as Loch Seile Surrounded by one of the few remaining areas of true wilderness in Scotland, the picturesque scenery around Scotland’s Loch Shiel has been featured in… |
| Cascade Lakes (Central Oregon, Oregon, US West Region, USA) |
4,940 ac | Also known as Todd Lake, Sparks Lake, Davis Lake, Elk Lake, Devils Lake, JHosmer Lake, Lava Lake, Little Lava Lake, Custus Lake, Little Custus Lake, Crane Prairie Reservoir, North Twin Lake, South Twin Lake, Wickiup Reservoir, Crescent Lake Whether it be a scenic day trip along the Cascade Lakes Scenic Byway, a leisurely day hike, or a rugged back country camping trek, the Cascade Lakes o… |
| Clinton Lake, IL (Central Illinois, Illinois, US Midwest Region, USA) |
4,900 ac | Also known as Clinton Reservoir Travel to central Illinois and you’ll find Clinton Lake, a 4,900 acre lake just 3 miles east of Clinton. Though the lake was originally built as a coo… |
| Lake Sammamish, WA (Seattle & Puget Sound Region, WA, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
4,897 ac | At just under 5,000 acres, Lake Sammamish is one of the major recreational lakes in the state. The lake provides activities for fishermen, boaters, je… |
| Big Glen Lake, MI (Michigan, Northwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
4,871 ac | Looking down on the surprisingly blue water and sandy shores of Big Glen Lake, she can see why it is called Inspiration Point. The view across the lak… |
| Maligne Lake (Alberta, Canada, Canada) |
4,870 ac | With a name derived from the French word for wicked or evil, Alberta’s Maligne Lake (pronounced muh-leen) offers a contradictory scenic and serene fac… |
| Long Lake, ME (Lakes & Mountains Region, ME, Maine, US New England Region, USA) |
4,867 ac | Long Lake is part of the Sebago Lake Region, which includes nearby Panther Pond, Little Sebago, Thompson Lake, Coffee Pond, Brandy Pond, Moose Pond, P… |
| Copan Lake, OK (Green Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
4,850 ac | Also known as Lake Copan, Copan Reservoir Named after a small town situated near its banks in Oklahoma, Copan Lake was completed in 1983. Flood control, water supply, water quality control, re… |
| Cle Elum Lake, WA (North Central Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
4,812 ac | Also known as Lake Cle Elum Providing much needed water to the dry, fertile soil of north-central Washington, Cle Elum Lake is the largest of four irrigation storage reservoirs i… |
| Lake Jackson, GA (Georgia, Historic Heartland Region, GA, US South Region, USA) |
4,750 ac | Also known as Jackson Lake Lake Jackson’s 4,750 surface acres are ideally located some 44 miles southeast of Atlanta, Georgia for a pleasant weekend or longer of fishing and boa… |