Largest lakes & reservoirs in Idaho by water volume
The estimated volume of water that a lake contains is measured at the lake’s normal elevation. By this measure, the world’s largest freshwater lake is Siberia’s Lake Baikal.Water Volume can be measured in acre-feet, in cubic miles, or in cubic kilometers. One acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover one acre (43,560 square feet) to a depth of one foot. One cubic mile equals 3,379,200 acre-feet. One cubic kilometer equals 810,713 acre-feet. 1 acre-foot is equal to 325,851 US gallons. Siberia’s Lake Baikal contains about 6,276,367,740,000,000 gallons of freshwater – nearly 1 million gallons for every living person on earth.
The other – and more widely used – measure of a lake’s size is the lake’s surface acreage. By that measure, the world’s largest freshwater lake is North America’s Lake Superior.
Note: In the United States, an acre foot is a unit of volume used to refer to large-scale bodies of water. It is defined by the volume of water needed to cover 1 acre of surface area to a depth of 1 foot.
You can find many of the the world’s largest lakes (by water volume) on LakeLubbers. Note: For some lakes, the water volume data is unknown or does not apply, so you may see fewer lakes than the total 23 articles we have published for Idaho lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US West Region > Idaho > Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in Idaho, only the 23 Idaho lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Water vol. in ac-ft |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Pend Oreille, ID (Idaho, Northern Idaho, US West Region, USA) |
43,939,940 ac-ft | (Also known as Albeni Falls Dam) Set in a valley carved by glaciers from Canada, Lake Pend Oreille (pond-a-RAY) is surrounded by mountains with altitudes exceeding 6,000 feet. Its 85,… |
| Dworshak Reservoir, ID (Idaho, North Central Idaho, US West Region, USA) |
3,453,000 ac-ft | Dworshak Reservoir is an excellent outdoor recreation site with a great water playground of over 19,000 acres. Located in northern Idaho near the town… |
| Coeur d’Alene Lake, ID (Idaho, Northern Idaho, US West Region, USA) |
2,269,996 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Coeur d'Alene) Nestled at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains in the Northern Panhandle of Idaho, 30,000-acre Coeur d’Alene Lake (pronounced Core-de-lane) is a spec… |
| American Falls Reservoir, ID (Idaho, Southeastern Idaho, US West Region, USA) |
1,671,300 ac-ft | With more than 56,000 acres of water sport, boating and fishing waters, surrounded by choice camping and picnic areas, American Falls Reservoir in sou… |
| Hells Canyon Reservoirs (Eastern Oregon, Idaho, Oregon, Southwestern Idaho, US West Region, USA) |
1,420,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Brownlee Reservoir, Oxbow Reservoir, Hells Canyon Reservoir) The three Hells Canyon Reservoirs are one of southwest Idaho’s most scenic locations. Idaho can’t claim this national treasure alone, however as it sh… |
| Palisades Reservoir, ID/WY (Eastern Idaho, Idaho, Southwest Wyoming, US West Region, USA, Wyoming) |
1,200,000 ac-ft | Palisades Reservoir is set in southeast Idaho, east of Idaho Falls in a beautiful river valley. The southern end of the reservoir extends into Wyoming… |
| Lake Cascade, ID (Idaho, Southwestern Idaho, US West Region, USA) |
693,100 ac-ft | (Also known as Cascade Reservoir) Lake Cascade (Cascade Reservoir) is the fourth largest lake in Idaho, creating an extensive and diverse recreation site for visitors. Its nearly 30,00… |
| Bear Lake, ID/UT (Cache Valley Region, UT, Idaho, Southeastern Idaho, US West Region, USA, Utah) |
650,000 ac-ft | A natural freshwater lake straddling the borders of Utah and Idaho, Bear Lake is a 70,000-acre turquoise jewel that lives up to its moniker of “Caribb… |
| Anderson Ranch Reservoir (Idaho, Southwestern Idaho, US West Region, USA) |
413,100 ac-ft | One of the true gems of the Idaho reservoir system is Anderson Ranch Reservoir. Completed along the South Fork of the Boise River in 1950, this projec… |
| Arrowrock Reservoir (Idaho, Southwestern Idaho, US West Region, USA) |
272,200 ac-ft | One in a string of three major reservoirs built to irrigate the parched Boise Valley, Arrowrock Reservoir has contributed to water recreation in south… |
| Lucky Peak Lake (Idaho, Southwestern Idaho, US West Region, USA) |
264,400 ac-ft | (Also known as Lucky Peak Reservoir) Home of Idaho’s most visited state park, Lucky Peak Lake (sometimes called Lucky Peak Reservoir) covers over 3,000 acres just outside of the capital c… |
| C. J. Strike Reservoir (Idaho, Southwestern Idaho, US West Region, USA) |
247,000 ac-ft | The C. J. Strike Reservoir in Southwestern Idaho offers a wealth of opportunities to enjoy nature. Formed in 1952 when a hydroelectric dam was built a… |