Newest reservoirs in Minnesota
The year that a reservoir was first filled to the reservoir’s normal elevation – or the year that a natural lake was first dammed – is the determining factor in the age of the body of water. A large reservoir can take more than a year to fill after its dam is first closed. You can find many of the the world’s newest reservoirs on LakeLubbers in the comparison table below. Many of the world’s oldest reservoirs appear on the last page of that list. Note: For some lakes, the completion year data is unknown, so you may see fewer lakes than the total 116 articles we have published for Minnesota lakes.Thinking about booking a Minnesota lake vacation home rental, cabin or hotel?
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > Minnesota > Compared by newest (youngest) reservoirs and the year it was completed. This list does not represent all lakes in Minnesota, only the 116 Minnesota lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Completion year |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Prior Lake (Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Region, MN, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1983 | Also known as Lower Prior Lake, Upper Prior Lake Thousands of years ago, when glaciers crept through the part of North America that is now Minnesota, they left behind a series of natural features tha… |
| Horseshoe Chain of Lakes (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1980 | Also known as Horseshoe Chain, Sauk River Chain of Lakes The Horseshoe Chain of Lakes in Central Minnesota has been a well-loved vacation destination for many years. The chain of over a dozen lakes along the… |
| Lake Minnetonka, MN (Minneapolis-St. Paul Metro Region, MN, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1979 | Lake Minnetonka’s 14,000 acres contain many bays and coves, resembling a collection of smaller lakes. “Minnetonka” comes from the Sioux language meani… |
| Upper Red Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northwest Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1951 | Nestled in the Northwest Region of Minnesota, Upper Red Lake has an incredible comeback story and is becoming a popular vacation place for the second… |
| Lac qui Parle, MN (Minnesota, Southern Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1950 | Thousands of feathered creatures gather here, nesting, breeding and chattering about things only birds would know about. For the myriad sounds the bir… |
| Lake Traverse, MN/SD (Central Minnesota, Glacial Lakes & Prairies Region, SD, Minnesota, South Dakota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1941 | Lake Traverse straddles the border of Minnesota’s Central tourism region and South Dakota’s northeastern Great Lakes and Prairie region. Covering more… |
| Deer Lake, MN (Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1938 | Also known as Lake of Changing Colors Often called the “Lake of Changing Colors,” Deer Lake is a jewel in Minnesota’s northwoods country. Located northwest of Grand Rapids in south-central… |
| Big Birch Lake, MN (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1937 | Big Birch Lake lies at the heart of Minnesota. With sparkling water spread across Todd and Stearns County lines, Big Birch Lake is at the geographic c… |
| Lake Onalaska, MN/WI (Minnesota, Mississippi-Chippewa Rivers Region, WI, Southern Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA, Wisconsin) |
1937 | Lake Onalaska is a popular year-round recreation destination on the upper Mississippi River, located between La Crosse, Wisconsin and La Crescent, Min… |
| Norway Lake, MN (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1927 | Norway Lake is nestled in Kandiyohi County on the southern border of Minnesota’s Central tourism region. It is part of the Wilmar Lakes Area which inc… |
| Gull Lake, MN (Central Minnesota, Minnesota, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1913 | Also known as Brainerd Lakes Gull Lake, located in the Central Region of Minnesota’s “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, boasts 9,418 surface acres and 38 miles of pristine shoreline. The dee… |
| Rainy Lake, MN / Canada (Canada, Minnesota, Northeast Minnesota, Ontario, Canada, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1909 | 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… |