Largest lakes & reservoirs in New York 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 72 articles we have published for New York lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Mid-Atlantic Region > New York > Compared by longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in New York, only the 72 New York lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Shoreline length in miles |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Erie (Canada, Chautauqua-Allegheny Region, NY, Great Lakes Region, PA, Great Lakes of North America, Greater Niagara Region, NY, Michigan, New York, Northeast Ohio, Northwest Ohio, Ohio, Ontario, Canada, Pennsylvania, Southeast Michigan, US Mid-Atlantic Region, US Midwest Region, USA) |
871 mi | Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes of North America, straddles the borders of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, and the Canadian province of Onta… |
| Lake Ontario (Canada, Finger Lakes Region, NY, Great Lakes of North America, Greater Niagara Region, NY, New York, Ontario, Canada, Thousand Islands Region, NY, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
712 mi | Lake Ontario, one of the world’s five Great Lakes, weaves over state and country borders, delighting Americans, Canadians, and visiting tourists with… |
| Lake Champlain (Adirondacks Region, NY, Canada, Lake Champlain Valley Region, VT, New York, Quebec, Canada, US Mid-Atlantic Region, US New England Region, USA, Vermont) |
587 mi | Lake Champlain, straddling New York and Vermont in the USA, and Quebec in Canada, is a natural freshwater lake seated 96 feet above sea level. Briefly… |
| Finger Lakes (Finger Lakes Region, NY, New York, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
384 mi | The Finger Lakes Region of New York is one of the nation’s favorite recreation and vacation destinations. The series of eleven long, narrow lakes are… |
| Great Sacandaga Lake, NY (Adirondacks Region, NY, Capital-Saratoga Region, NY, New York, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
125 mi | Also known as Great Sacanadaga Reservoir Great Sacandaga Lake, located in the Adirondack Mountains of New York, is a reservoir built to control flooding on the Hudson River and the Sacandaga… |
| Lake George, NY (Adirondacks Region, NY, New York, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
109 mi | Sitting pretty at the base of New York’s majestic Adirondack Mountains, Lake George’s nickname is “Queen of American Lakes.” The 28,000-acre glacial l… |
| Raquette Lake (Adirondacks Region, NY, New York, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
99 mi | Also known as Racquette Lake Raquette Lake lies in the center of Adirondacks Park – a natural, unspoiled gem that draws nature enthusiasts from around the world. Raquette Lake (so… |
| Cayuga Lake, NY (Finger Lakes Region, NY, New York, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
96 mi | Cayuga Lake, located in western New York, is the second largest Finger Lake in both surface area and volume. Boasting 38.2 miles in length, 1.7 miles… |
| Allegheny Reservoir, NY/PA (Chautauqua-Allegheny Region, NY, New York, Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Wilds Region, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
91 mi | Also known as Kinzua Dam Lake, Kinzua Lake, Lake Kinzua Flowing across tree-covered hills in northwestern Pennsylvania and southwestern New York, the Allegheny Reservoir’s 12,080 acres provide an open invit… |
| Seneca Lake, NY (Finger Lakes Region, NY, New York, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
75 mi | Seneca Lake, one of western New York’s famous Finger Lakes, is the largest lake to be entirely contained within the borders of the state. Seneca Lake… |
| Cranberry Lake (Adirondacks Region, NY, New York, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
71 mi | The best of the Adirondacks is on full display at Cranberry Lake. Located near the edge of six-million-acre Adirondack Park, Cranberry Lake is one of… |
| Black Lake NY (New York, Thousand Islands Region, NY, US Mid-Atlantic Region, USA) |
60 mi | Known as the best fishing destination in the 1000 Islands Region of upstate New York, Black Lake has been drawing anglers and vacationers to its shore… |