Largest lakes & reservoirs in Oregon 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 29 articles we have published for Oregon lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US West Region > Oregon > Compared by water volume. This list does not represent all lakes in Oregon, only the 29 Oregon lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Water vol. in ac-ft |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Crater Lake, OR (Oregon, Southern Oregon, US West Region, USA) |
14,100,000 ac-ft | Crater Lake is on the crest of the Cascade Range in southern Oregon, about 100 miles from the ocean, and is the centerpiece of Crater Lake National Pa… |
| 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… |
| Lake Wallula, OR/WA (Eastern Oregon, Oregon, South Central Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
1,350,000 ac-ft | Lake Wallula, a 64 mile long reservoir, is a wide open glassy lake that extends from northeastern Oregon to southeastern Washington. Lake Wallula rece… |
| Upper Klamath Lake, OR (Oregon, Southern Oregon, US West Region, USA) |
873,000 ac-ft | Stretching for an impressive 30 miles, Upper Klamath Lake is the largest freshwater lake in the State of Oregon. Nestled in the Klamath Basin, it is s… |
| Crescent Lake, OR (Central Oregon, Oregon, US West Region, USA) |
566,600 ac-ft | Crescent Lake, aptly named for its shape, lies on the eastern slope of the Cascade Mountains, in the northwest corner of Klamath County, Oregon. With… |
| Detroit Lake, OR (Oregon, US West Region, USA, Willamette Valley Region, OR) |
455,000 ac-ft | Conveniently located just 46 miles south of Salem in Oregon’s Willamette Valley tourism region lies Detroit Lake, a 3,580-acre artificial freshwater r… |
| Lake Celilo, OR/WA (Mt. Hood-The Gorge Region, OR, Oregon, Southwest Washington, US West Region, USA, Washington) |
277,000 ac-ft | (Also known as Dalles Lock and Dam) Beautiful and serene Lake Celilo is located off of I-84 about an hour and a half east of Portland, Oregon. Lake Celilo stretches 24 miles long and str… |
| Paulina Lake, OR (Central Oregon, Oregon, US West Region, USA) |
250,000 ac-ft | Set in the high desert country of central Oregon, Paulina Lake is one of two sparkling lakes resting in the caldera of Newberry Crater. Part of Newber… |
| Wickiup Reservoir, OR (Central Oregon, Oregon, US West Region, USA) |
188,476 ac-ft | (Also known as Wickiup Lake) Wickiup Reservoir is an 11,000 acre angler’s paradise. Camping areas are plentiful, and boat launching ramps are located at most. The reservoir gets i… |
| Prineville Reservoir, OR (Central Oregon, Oregon, US West Region, USA) |
150,200 ac-ft | The 3,030-acre Prineville Reservoir is one of Central Oregon’s prolific fishing and outdoor recreation water bodies. The lake’s well-developed public… |
| Fern Ridge Lake, OR (Oregon, US West Region, USA, Willamette Valley Region, OR) |
101,100 ac-ft | (Also known as Fern Ridge Reservoir) Fern Ridge Lake is the largest of thirteen flood control reservoirs in Oregon’s Williamette Valley. With 9000 acres of water, Fern Ridge Lake is a pre… |
| Applegate Lake, OR (Oregon, Southern Oregon, US West Region, USA) |
76,164 ac-ft | (Also known as Applegate Reservoir) Reflecting the peaks of the Siskiyou Mountains, Applegate Lake is surrounded by Rogue River National Forest in southwestern Oregon’s Jackson County. L… |