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.
Thinking about booking a lake vacation home rental, cabin or hotel?
Use our free interactive vacation rental map to search and compare multiple vacation properties at a glance. Enter a lake name, a state or city and then simply click on a listing to compare all similar properties, best rates and availability for your dates.Search results: Sort lakes by miles of shoreline
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Rainy Lake, MN / Canada (Canada, Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, Ontario, Canada, US Midwest Region, USA) |
929 mi | Rainy Lake’s sprawling 221,000 acres straddle the border of the United States and Canada. Known as a water sports lover’s paradise, Rainy Lake is loca… |
| Lake Keitele, Finland (Finland, Lakeland Region, Finland) |
905 mi | Lake Keitele spans an impressive 122,000 acres in Central Finland’s Lakeland District. The lake is connected to Lake Paijanne (271,800 acres) via the… |
| Shuswap Lake, BC (British Columbia, Canada, Canada) |
889 mi | With 889 miles of shoreline and a multitude of provincial parks, 76,602-acre Shuswap Lake in the Southern Interior of British Columbia offers unlimite… |
| Lake Erie (Canada, Chautauqua-Allegheny Region, NY, Great Lakes Region, PA, Great Lakes of North America, Greater Niagara Region, NY, Michigan, New York, Northeast Ohio, Northwest Ohio, Ohio, Ontario, Canada, Pennsylvania, Southeast Michigan, US Mid-Atlantic Region, US Midwest Region, USA) |
871 mi | Lake Erie, one of the Great Lakes of North America, straddles the borders of Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Michigan, and the Canadian province of Onta… |
| Lake Amistad, TX / Mexico (Hill Country Region, TX, Mexico, North Mexico, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
851 mi | Also known as International Amistad Reservoir The Spanish word “Amistad” translates to “Friendship” in English … little wonder, then, that west Texas’ Lake Amistad is one of the Lone Star State’… |
| Manicouagan Reservoir (Canada, Quebec, Canada) |
821 mi | Also known as Lake Manicouagan, Lac Manicouagan, Lac Mouchalagane Manicouagan Reservoir is one of the world’s most interesting geological features. This huge annular (circular) lake was shaped by a number of factors,… |
| Chickamauga Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
810 mi | Also known as Chickamauga Reservoir Chickamauga Lake is a fabulous recreational reservoir. It is located in southeast Tennessee, 20 miles from Chattanooga, and includes 810 miles of shor… |
| Norris Lake, TN (East Tennessee, Tennessee, US South Region, USA) |
809 mi | Also known as Norris Reservoir Just 25 miles north of Knoxville, Tennessee, Norris Lake is the first reservoir created by the Tennessee Valley Authority. Named for Senator George No… |
| Kerr Lake, NC/VA (North Carolina, Piedmont Region, NC, Southern Virginia Region, US South Region, USA, Virginia) |
800 mi | Also known as Kerr Reservoir, John H Kerr Reservoir, Buggs Island Lake, Buggs Island Reservoir The 48,900-acre John H. Kerr Reservoir straddles the Virginia-North Carolina border. This impoundment of the Roanoke and Dan Rivers, completed by the… |
| Grande Lago (Portugal) |
745 mi | Also known as Alqueva Lake, Alqueva Dam Grande Lago, Portugal is Europe’s largest artificial lake. Created in 2002 to provide electricity and irrigation to Portugal’s Alentejo Region, Grande… |
| Table Rock Lake, AR/MO (Arkansas, Missouri, Ozarks Region, AR, Southwest Missouri, US Midwest Region, US South Region, USA) |
745 mi | Branson, Missouri has the saying “Someone you love is playing here.” When you visit nearby Table Rock Lake, the person playing is sure to be you. With… |
| Lake Martin, AL (Alabama, Metropolitan Region, AL, US South Region, USA) |
743 mi | Also known as Martin Lake Lake Martin, located in Central Alabama near Alexander City, stretches out over 44,000 acres with an incredible 750 miles of shoreline. Nestled within… |