Largest lakes & reservoirs in Arizona by shoreline length
The length of the exterior shoreline around a lake is measured at the lake’s normal elevation. The shoreline length can be considerably shorter or longer when lake water levels are lower or higher than normal. A lake with many coves has a much longer shoreline than a lake of similar surface area that is nearly circular in shape.When known, the shoreline miles that we report in our statistics include only the lake’s exterior shoreline, and exclude the shorelines of islands located within a lake’s boundaries. In lakes with many islands, those islands’ combined shorelines may exceed a lake’s exterior shoreline.
You can find many of the world’s longest-shoreline lakes on LakeLubbers. Note: For some lakes, "Longest Shorelines" data is unknown or does not apply, so this table may display fewer lakes than the total 24 articles we have published for Arizona lakes.
Thinking about booking a Arizona lake vacation home rental, cabin or hotel?
Use our free interactive vacation rental map to search and compare multiple vacation properties at a glance. Enter a lake name, a state or city and then simply click on a listing to compare all similar properties, best rates and availability for your dates.Search results: Sort lakes by miles of shoreline
Below are lakes within USA > US Southwest Region > Arizona > Compared by longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in Arizona, only the 24 Arizona lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Shoreline length in miles |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Powell, AZ/UT (Arizona, Canyonlands Region, UT, Color Country, UT, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, Utah) |
1,900 mi | Lake Powell is located in one of Southern Utah’s most picturesque red-rock desert areas and in Arizona’s Navajo Indian Reservation. It is one of the U… |
| Lake Mead, AZ/NV (Arizona, Las Vegas Territory, NV, Nevada, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, West Coast Region, AZ) |
550 mi | Lake Mead is the USA’s largest man-made reservoir in amount of water it can hold. Although Lake Powell is marginally larger in acreage at full-pond, L… |
| Lake Havasu, AZ/CA (Arizona, California, Desert Region, CA, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, West Coast Region, AZ) |
450 mi | Lake Havasu’s 20,400 acres, formed behind Parker Dam on the Colorado River, is a boating paradise. Around Lake Havasu City, the most recognizable sigh… |
| San Carlos Lake, AZ (Arizona, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, USA) |
158 mi | San Carlos Lake is on the San Carlos Apache Native American Reservation in north-central Arizona. With 19,500 surface acres of water when full, San Ca… |
| Lake Mohave, AZ/NV (Arizona, Las Vegas Territory, NV, Nevada, US Southwest Region, US West Region, USA, West Coast Region, AZ) |
150 mi | Lake Mohave is a man-made reservoir on the Colorado River that spans 28,260 acres. It is a part of the Lake Mead National Recreation Area, and was cre… |
| Roosevelt Lake, AZ (Arizona, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, USA) |
128 mi | Also known as Theodore Roosevelt Lake, Lake Roosevelt With 21,500 acres at full pond and 128 miles of shoreline, Roosevelt Lake is the largest body of water contained entirely within Arizona; the larger L… |
| Lake Pleasant, AZ (Arizona, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, USA) |
114 mi | Also known as New Lake Pleasant One of the finest water recreation areas in Arizona, Lake Pleasant is true to its name – a pleasant oasis in a desert setting. Lake Pleasant’s 9,200 s… |
| Apache Lake, AZ (Arizona, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, USA) |
41 mi | Surrounded by the stark and rugged beauty of Central Arizona’s Superstition Wilderness in the Tonto National Forest, Apache Lake is the perfect destin… |
| Bartlett Lake, AZ (Arizona, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, USA) |
33 mi | Also known as Bartlett Reservoir When driving across Arizona, it is always an amazing experience to come upon a lake. With the desert landscape surrounding the water, the lake jumps o… |
| Canyon Lake, AZ (Arizona, Phoenix & Central Region, AZ, US Southwest Region, USA) |
28 mi | Within the wild and rugged Arizona Superstition Wilderness lies the awe-inspiring beauty of Canyon Lake. The lake and wilderness are part of the vast… |
| Horseshoe Reservoir, AZ (Arizona, North Central Arizona, US Southwest Region, USA) |
27 mi | Horseshoe Reservoir, in the Arizona Central Region, is a seldom-visited surprise. Horseshoe Lake, as it is often called, was created in 1946, when a d… |
| Lyman Lake, AZ (Arizona, Northern Arizona, US Southwest Region, USA) |
20 mi | Also known as Lyman Reservoir Mount Baldy and Escudilla Mountain hug Lyman Lake. Ridges from the second and third highest mountains in Arizona surround the 1500-acre reservoir. Loc… |