Largest lakes & reservoirs in Central Minnesota 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 44 articles we have published for Central Minnesota lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > Minnesota > Central Minnesota > Compared by longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in Central Minnesota, only the 44 Central Minnesota lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Shoreline length in miles |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Whitefish Chain of Lakes (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
119 mi | Also known as Pine River Reservoir Whitefish Chain of Lakes, also known as the Pine River Reservoir, is one of six Mississippi River Headwater Reservoirs in central Minnesota. Located i… |
| Horseshoe Chain of Lakes (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
76 mi | Also known as Horseshoe Chain, Sauk River Chain of Lakes The Horseshoe Chain of Lakes in Central Minnesota has been a well-loved vacation destination for many years. The chain of over a dozen lakes along the… |
| Mille Lacs Lake, MN (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
75 mi | Also known as Lake Mille Lacs August 2015 Update: The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources issued an order August 2, 2015 banning walleye fishing for the rest of the season. T… |
| Big Stone Lake, MN/SD (Central Minnesota, Glacial Lakes & Prairies Region, SD, Minnesota, South Dakota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
62 mi | Big Stone Lake’s sparkling blue water covers 12,360 acres and forms the border between western Minnesota and northeastern South Dakota. This picturesq… |
| Lake Osakis, MN (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
52 mi | Also known as Osakis Lake Lake Osakis, stretched across the prairie in the Central Region of Minnesota, has been a vacation destination for several generations of ‘lake lubbers… |
| Gull Lake, MN (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
38 mi | Also known as Brainerd Lakes Gull Lake, located in the Central Region of Minnesota’s “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, boasts 9,418 surface acres and 38 miles of pristine shoreline. The dee… |
| Lake Traverse, MN/SD (Central Minnesota, Glacial Lakes & Prairies Region, SD, Minnesota, South Dakota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
35 mi | Lake Traverse straddles the border of Minnesota’s Central tourism region and South Dakota’s northeastern Great Lakes and Prairie region. Covering more… |
| Battle Lake (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
29 mi | Also known as East Battle Lake, West Battle Lake Connected by Battle Creek, West Battle Lake and East Battle Lake sprawl across over 7,500 acres of central Minnesota in Ottertail County. With more th… |
| Cedar Lake MN (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
26 mi | Visitors never tire of exploring Cedar Lake, Minnesota with its many twists, turns, bays, and coves. Cedar Lake is a spring- and small stream-fed lake… |
| Lake Mary, MN (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
24 mi | Covering 2,371 acres, Lake Mary is one of the larger lakes in the Alexandria Lakes Area in Douglas County, Minnesota. Although certain areas of the la… |
| Pelican Lake-Crow Wing County (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
23 mi | Long a traditional vacation lake in Minnesota’s Central region, Pelican Lake is the second-largest lake in the Brainerd Lakes area. Over 8,000 acres o… |
| Otter Tail Lake, MN (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
22 mi | With over 13,000 acres of water and 22 miles of shoreline, Otter Tail Lake is the largest lake in Otter Tail County and is located in the Central tour… |