Largest lakes & reservoirs in North Dakota 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 8 articles we have published for North Dakota lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > North Dakota > Compared by longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in North Dakota, only the 8 North Dakota lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Shoreline length in miles |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Oahe, ND/SD (Great Lakes Region, SD, North Dakota, South Central Region, ND, South Dakota, Southwest Region, ND, US Midwest Region, USA) |
2,250 mi | Lake Oahe, named after an Oahe Indian Mission, roughly translates “a foundation” or “a place to stand on.” Spanning 231 miles from Pierre, South Dakot… |
| Lake Sakakawea, ND (North Dakota, Northwest Region, ND, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1,340 mi | The second-largest reservoir by surface acreage in the United States (and third-largest in volume), Lake Sakakawea stretches 178 miles from Garrison D… |
| Devil’s Lake, ND (North Central Region, ND, North Dakota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1,000 mi | Also known as Devils Lake Spring 2011: Water levels continue to rise with melting snow and spring rains, reaching 1,453 feet above sea level and about 177,000 acres in April. A… |
| Lake Ashtabula, ND (North Dakota, Southeast Region, ND, US Midwest Region, USA) |
73 mi | Lake Ashtabula is located among the gentle rolling prairies of southeastern North Dakota. Stretching 27 miles along the Sheyenne River, Lake Ashtabula… |
| Lake Darling, ND (North Dakota, Northwest Region, ND, US Midwest Region, USA) |
68 mi | Lake Darling is the focal point of the Upper Souris National Wildlife Refuge located in northwest North Dakota. The Refuge is beautifully situated alo… |
| Pipestem Lake, ND (North Dakota, South Central Region, ND, US Midwest Region, USA) |
45 mi | Pipestem Lake stretches five and a half miles long on Pipestem Creek in south-central North Dakota, just a few miles north of Jamestown. With 840 acre… |
| Lake Metigoshe (Canada, Manitoba, Canada, North Central Region, ND, North Dakota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
28 mi | One of the best spots for water recreation in North Dakota’s North Central region is Lake Metigoshe. Often called the ‘Jewel of the Turtle Mountains’,… |
| Bowman Haley Lake, ND (North Dakota, Southwest Region, ND, US Midwest Region, USA) |
17 mi | Also known as Bowman-Haley Lake Bowman Haley Lake, located in Southwestern North Dakota, was once a Sioux hunting ground. Bowman Haley Lake is now a 1,740-acre lake surrounded by rol… |