Largest lakes & reservoirs in Southwest Colorado 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 Southwest Colorado lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US West Region > Colorado > Southwest Colorado > Compared by longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in Southwest Colorado, only the 7 Southwest Colorado lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Shoreline length in miles |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Blue Mesa Reservoir, CO (Colorado, Southwest Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
96 mi | Also known as Blue Mesa Lake Beautiful mesas, deep canyons, and steep rocky cliffs surround Blue Mesa Reservoir, the second largest lake entirely in Colorado. The clear, blue, mou… |
| McPhee Reservoir, CO (Colorado, Southwest Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
50 mi | In 1776 Spanish priests traveling through the Dolores Valley imagined a project that would bring water to the thirsty crops of the Montezuma Valley. B… |
| Electra Lake, CO (Colorado, Southwest Colorado, US West Region, USA) |
10 mi | Also known as Cascade Reservoir The majestic peaks of the San Juan Mountains stand guard over the breathtaking beauty of southwestern Colorado’s Electra Lake. Found 25 miles north of… |