Largest lakes & reservoirs in Northwest Iowa 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 7 articles we have published for Northwest Iowa lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > Iowa > Northwest Iowa > Compared by longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in Northwest Iowa, only the 7 Northwest Iowa lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Shoreline length in miles |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Iowa Great Lakes (Iowa, Northwest Iowa, US Midwest Region, USA) |
86 mi | Also known as Big Spirit Lake, Little Spirit Lake, West Okoboji Lake, East Okoboji Lake, Gar Lakes, Center Lake, Silver Lake Most of the world equates Iowa with corn fields and election-year Straw Polls and has never heard of Iowa’s Great Lakes. Nestled in the Northwest Regi… |
| West Okoboji Lake, IA (Iowa, Northwest Iowa, US Midwest Region, USA) |
20 mi | Also known as West Lake Okoboji West Okoboji Lake is one of Iowa’s eight Great Lakes located in Dickinson County. It was named “Minnetonka” by the Sioux Indians meaning “Great Waters… |
| East Okoboji Lake, IA (Iowa, Northwest Iowa, US Midwest Region, USA) |
17 mi | Also known as East Lake Okoboji East Okoboji Lake is one of a chain of lakes known as Iowa’s Great Lakes. East Okoboji Lake received its unique name from the Dakota Indians. They cal… |
| Spirit Lake, IA (Iowa, Northwest Iowa, US Midwest Region, USA) |
15 mi | Also known as Big Spirit Lake Spirit Lake is one of a chain of lakes known as Iowa’s Great Lakes. Also called Big Spirit Lake, this natural body of water was named by the Dakota Na… |
| Silver Lake, IA (Iowa, Northwest Iowa, US Midwest Region, USA) |
10 mi | Silver Lake, a natural glacial lake spanning 1,041 acres, is located in northwestern Iowa bordering the town of Lake Park. It is one of the chain of l… |