Largest lakes & reservoirs in 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 116 articles we have published for Minnesota lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > Minnesota > Compared by longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in Minnesota, only the 116 Minnesota lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Shoreline length in miles | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Birch Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
80 mi | Located in St. Louis County Minnesota and the Superior National Forest, Birch Lake is an escape from the hustle and bustle of the concrete civilizatio… |
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… |
Burntside Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
74 mi | Burntside Lake is an impressive nine-mile long lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota. With a surface area of 7,314 acres and no motor restrictions, Burn… |
Big Sandy Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
64 mi | Big Sandy Lake is located in Minnesota’s northeast Aitkin County, home to over one million acres of hardwood forest and 365 lakes. With the majority o… |
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… |
Pokegama Lake (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
55 mi | Also known as Lake Pokegama Pokegama Lake has been a premier vacation destination for over 100 years. Located on the southwestern side of Grand Rapids, Minnesota in Itasca County… |
Pelican Lake-St. Louis County, MN (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
54 mi | Pelican Lake lies adjacent to the small town of Orr in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Pelican Lake has 54 miles of shoreline and is peppered with 53 isl… |
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… |
Lac qui Parle, MN (Minnesota, Southern Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
42 mi | Thousands of feathered creatures gather here, nesting, breeding and chattering about things only birds would know about. For the myriad sounds the bir… |
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… |