Largest lakes & reservoirs in Northwest Minnesota 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 21 articles we have published for Northwest Minnesota lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > Minnesota > Northwest Minnesota > Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in Northwest Minnesota, only the 21 Northwest Minnesota lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Water vol. in ac-ft |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake of the Woods, MN / Canada (Canada, Manitoba, Canada, Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, Ontario, Canada, US Midwest Region, USA) |
15,700,000 ac-ft | Spanning the border from Minnesota into the Canadian provinces of Ontario and Manitoba, Lake of the Woods is an enormous body of water over 68 miles l… |
| Upper Red Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
2,129,000 ac-ft | Nestled in the Northwest Region of Minnesota, Upper Red Lake has an incredible comeback story and is becoming a popular vacation place for the second… |
| Cass Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1,399,425 ac-ft | Cass Lake is, without a doubt, one of Minnesota’s natural treasures. Its scenic beauty is only surpassed by its rich history, unique features and the… |
| Leech Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
621,640 ac-ft | With over 120,000 acres of water and 316 miles of shoreline, Leech Lake is the third largest lake located entirely in Minnesota, the “Land of 10,000 L… |
| Lake Winnibigoshish, MN (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
220,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Lake Winnie) Lake Winnibigoshish is a legend among Minnesota lakes. The lake’s impressive size, covering more than 58,500 acres, reaches into both the Northwest an… |
| Kabekona Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
115,970 ac-ft | They start almost every day this way, sitting on the deck, and watching the loons glide across Kabekona Lake. When they were ready to retire they knew… |
| Little Boy Lake (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
32,928 ac-ft | Paradise comes at very little cost while guests look upon Little Boy Lake’s shimmering waters in northern Minnesota. This 1,372-acre lake is moments a… |
| Lake Bemidji, MN (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
2,500 ac-ft | (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… |
| Ten Mile Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
39 ac-ft | (Also known as Tenmile Lake) Ten Mile Lake is a 5,046-acre spring-fed lake located near Hackensack, in the northwest region of Minnesota. With 25 miles of shoreline and a maximum… |