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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Athabasca, AB (Alberta, Canada, Canada, Saskatchewan, Canada) |
1,181 mi | Lake Athabasca is a 1,939,776-acre lake with a maximum depth of 410 feet making it the largest and deepest lake in both Alberta and Saskatchewan. Appr… |
| Lake of the Ozarks, MO (Central Missouri, Missouri, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1,150 mi | Also known as Lake Ozark Painting plains of central Missouri a liquid blue, Lake of the Ozarks snakes its way through the landscape. Just 180 miles from St. Louis and 170 mile… |
| Gatun Lake, Panama (Colon Province Region, Panama, Panama) |
1,100 mi | Also known as Lake Gatun, Lago Gatun Gatun Lake, in the Colon Province of the Republic of Panama, constitutes nearly half of the Panama Canal waterway. Created by damming the Chagres Rive… |
| Lake Winnipeg, MB (Canada, Manitoba, Canada) |
1,087 mi | Lake Winnipeg is a long (271 miles) somewhat shallow outdoor enthusiast’s dream. It’s located some 35 miles north of Winnipeg, Manitoba and is a natur… |
| Wheeler Lake, AL (Alabama, Mountains Region, AL, US South Region, USA) |
1,027 mi | Also known as Wheeler Reservoir Wheeler Lake in northern Alabama’s Mountain Region is the state’s second-largest lake at 67,100 acres. The Tennessee Valley Authority created Wheeler… |
| Lake Barkley, KY/TN (Kentucky, Middle Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA, Western Waterlands Region, KY) |
1,004 mi | Lake Barkley is one of the premier recreational destinations in Western Kentucky. The reservoir was created by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1966 for… |
| 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 Ladoga, Russia (North-Western Region, Russia, Russia) |
976 mi | Also known as Lake Laatokka, Ladozhskoye Ozero Located 25 miles north of St. Petersburg, Russia’s Lake Ladoga is the largest freshwater body in Europe with a surface area of 4,481,238 acres. The am… |
| Lake Ouachita, AR (Arkansas, Ouachitas Region, AR, US South Region, USA) |
975 mi | Also known as Blakely Mountain Dam Reservoir Lake Ouachita is completely surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest. It’s the largest lake located entirely within the state of Arkansas. More than… |
| Hartwell Lake, GA/SC (Georgia, Northeast Georgia Mountains Region, South Carolina, The Upcountry, SC, US South Region, USA) |
962 mi | Also known as Lake Hartwell So large it covers parts of six counties in two states, Lake Hartwell draws millions of visitors a year to play on its 56,000 acres of water. With ple… |
| Harry S. Truman Lake, MO (Central Missouri, Missouri, US Midwest Region, USA) |
958 mi | Also known as Harry S. Truman Reservoir, Truman Lake It looks a like a reel of film perched on a bluff; it is the visitor center overlooking Truman Lake. The round wall of windows offers a panoramic view… |
| Lake Guntersville, AL (Alabama, East Tennessee, Mountains Region, AL, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
949 mi | Also known as Guntersville Lake, Guntersville Reservoir Alabama’s Mountain Region contains the state’s largest lake: Lake Guntersville. Cradled in the Appalachian foothills of northern Alabama, it’s located… |