Largest lakes & reservoirs in 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 2151 articles we have published for lakes.
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Below are lakes within Compared by longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in , only the 2151 lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Shoreline length in miles |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Jordan Lake, NC (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, US South Region, USA) |
200 mi | Also known as B. Everett Jordan Reservoir, New Hope Lake Jordan Lake, initially called New Hope Lake, is a 13,940-acre reservoir in central North Carolina’s Piedmont region, part of the Upper Cape Fear River… |
| Lake Tawakoni, TX (Prairies and Lakes Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
200 mi | Built for function but known for fun, Lake Tawakoni, Texas was formed after construction of the Iron Bridge Dam. Van Zandt County, Rains County, and H… |
| Gainesville Lake, AL (Alabama, Metropolitan Region, AL, US South Region, USA) |
200 mi | Also known as Gainesville Reservoir Gainesville Lake is a long riverine 40-mile lake in Alabama’s bustling Metropolitan region. It is in a prime location surrounded by the wooded green o… |
| Elephant Butte Lake, NM (New Mexico, Southwest New Mexico, NM, US Southwest Region, USA) |
200 mi | Also known as The Butte, Elephant Butte Reservoir With limited lake options in New Mexico, Elephant Butte Lake is a popular destination for water enthusiasts and nature lovers alike in the Land of Enc… |
| Lake Lyndon B. Johnson, TX (Hill Country Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
200 mi | Also known as Lake LBJ Lake Lyndon B. Johnson, also called Lake LBJ, is a 6,449 acre lake located in Llano and Burnet counties of the Texas Hill Country. The third of seven… |
| Lake Sharpe, SD (Great Lakes Region, SD, South Dakota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
200 mi | Lake Sharpe, located on South Dakota Highways 50 and 47 near Chamberlain, and Reliance, is one of the four reservoirs constructed along the Missouri R… |
| Lake Anna, VA (Central Virginia, Northern Virginia Region, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
200 mi | Lake Anna, covering 13,000 acres of central Virginia, is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the state. It spans Virginia’s Northern and Central to… |
| Lake Hamilton, AR (Arkansas, Ouachitas Region, AR, US South Region, USA) |
198 mi | Located on the southern edge of Hot Springs, Lake Hamilton is a premier vacation destination. This beautiful lake was formed in 1932 with the construc… |
| Hells Canyon Reservoirs (Eastern Oregon, Idaho, Oregon, Southwestern Idaho, US West Region, USA) |
193 mi | Also known as Brownlee Reservoir, Oxbow Reservoir, Hells Canyon Reservoir The three Hells Canyon Reservoirs are one of southwest Idaho’s most scenic locations. Idaho can’t claim this national treasure alone, however as it sh… |
| Melton Hill Reservoir, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
193 mi | Also known as Melton Hill Lake Melton Hill Reservoir, also known as Melton Hill Lake, is an impoundment of the Clinch River. Located near Oak Ridge, TN, the reservoir extends 57 mil… |
| Laurel River Lake, KY (Daniel Boone Country, KY, Kentucky, US South Region, USA) |
192 mi | Laurel River Lake was created by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1974 to provide flood control and hydroelectric power to its neighboring areas, b… |
| Monroe Lake, IN (Indiana, South Central Indiana, US Midwest Region, USA) |
190 mi | Also known as Monroe Reservoir, Lake Monroe The largest lake in Indiana, Monroe Lake is also one of the state’s most scenic. Set among the rolling wooded hills, limestone bluffs overlook the 10,… |