List of largest lakes of the United States by area explained

See also: List of largest lakes of the United States by volume.

The following is a list of the 100 largest lakes of the United States by normal surface area. The top twenty lakes in size are as listed by the National Atlas of the United States, a publication of the United States Department of the Interior. The area given is the normal or average area of the lake. The area of some lakes fluctuates substantially. For those lakes partially in Canada or Mexico the area given for the lake is the total area, not just the part of the lake in the United States. Of the top 100 lakes, 55 are man-made and 45 are natural. Two lakes in the top 100 are primarily salt water, and two are primarily brackish water.

RankNameU.S. states/Canadian provinces/Mexican statesArea TypeNotes
1 Lake SuperiorMichigan–Minnesota–Wisconsin–Ontario31700sqminatural[1]
2Lake HuronMichigan–Ontario23000sqminatural[2]
3Lake MichiganIllinois–Indiana–Michigan–Wisconsin22300sqminatural[3]
4Lake ErieMichigan–New York–Ohio–Ontario–Pennsylvania9910sqminatural
5Lake Ontario7340sqminatural
6Manitoba–Minnesota–Ontario1679sqminatural
7Alaska1014sqminatural
8Great Salt LakeUtah950sqminaturalsalt[4]
9Lake OaheNorth Dakota–South Dakota685sqmiman-made[5]
10Lake OkeechobeeFlorida662sqminatural [6]
11Louisiana631sqminaturalbrackish[7]
12North Dakota520sqmiman-made
13New York–Vermont–Quebec490sqminatural
14Alaska453sqminatural
15Michigan–Ontario440sqminatural
16Minnesota427sqminatural[8]
17Alaska404sqminatural
18Fort Peck LakeMontana393sqmiman-made
19 Salton SeaCalifornia347sqmiman-madesalt[9]
20 Minnesota–Ontario345sqminatural
21Teshekpuk LakeAlaska320sqminatural
22Devils LakeNorth Dakota300sqminatural[10] [11] [12] [13]
23Toledo Bend ReservoirLouisiana–Texas284sqmiman-made
24Lake PowellArizona–Utah251sqmiman-made
25Kentucky–Tennessee250sqmiman-made
26Lake MeadArizona–Nevada247sqmiman-made
27Naknek LakeAlaska242sqminatural
28Lake WinnebagoWisconsin215sqminatural
29Mille Lacs LakeMinnesota207sqminatural
30Flathead LakeMontana192sqminatural
31Lake TahoeCalifornia–Nevada191sqminatural
32Nevada183sqminatural
33Sam Rayburn ReservoirTexas179sqmiman-made
34Eufaula LakeOklahoma169sqmiman-made
Tulare LakeCalifornia168sqminaturalnormally a dry lake, melting snowpack and rainfall have left Tulare Lake at 168 square miles as of June 2023[14]
35Lake MarionSouth Carolina165sqmiman-made
36Leech LakeMinnesota161sqminatural
37Sardis LakeMississippi153sqmiman-made
38Utah LakeUtah151sqminatural
39Lake Francis CaseSouth Dakota149sqmiman-made
40Lake Pend OreilleIdaho148sqminatural
41Lake TexomaOklahoma–Texas139sqmiman-made
42Yellowstone LakeWyoming136sqminatural
43Falcon LakeTamaulipas–Texas131sqmiman-made
44Lake LivingstonTexas130sqmiman-made
45Franklin D. Roosevelt LakeWashington128sqmiman-made
46Lake ClarkAlaska120sqminatural
47Moosehead LakeMaine117sqminatural
48Lake Strom ThurmondGeorgia–South Carolina111sqmiman-made
49Bear LakeIdaho–Utah109sqminatural
50Lake GuntersvilleAlabama108sqmiman-made
51Lake St. FrancisNew York–Ontario–Quebec105sqmiman-made[15]
51Wheeler LakeAlabama105sqmiman-made
53Amistad LakeCoahuila–Texas102sqmiman-made
54Oregon96sqminatural
55Tustumena LakeAlaska94sqminatural[16]
55Lake MoultrieSouth Carolina94sqmiman-made
57Lake WinnibigoshishMinnesota91sqminatural
57Lake BarkleyKentucky–Tennessee91sqmiman-made
59Lake SharpeSouth Dakota89sqmiman-made
60American Falls ReservoirIdaho88sqmiman-made
61Lake HartwellGeorgia–South Carolina87sqmiman-made
61Truman ReservoirMissouri87sqmiman-made
63Lake of the OzarksMissouri86sqmiman-made
64Oneida LakeNew York80sqminatural
65Lake CumberlandKentucky79sqmiman-made
66Kerr LakeNorth Carolina–Virginia78sqmiman-made
67Calcasieu LakeLouisiana77sqminatural
68Lake MurraySouth Carolina75sqmiman-made
69Grand Lake o' the CherokeesOklahoma73sqmiman-made
69Lake KoocanusaBritish Columbia–Montana73sqmiman-made
71Lake GeorgeFlorida72sqminaturalbrackish
72Lake WinnipesaukeeNew Hampshire71sqminatural
72Bull Shoals LakeArkansas–Missouri71sqmiman-made
73Walter F. George LakeAlabama–Georgia71sqmiman-made
74Lake MartinAlabama69sqmiman-made
75Clear LakeCalifornia68sqminatural
75Robert S. Kerr LakeOklahoma68sqmiman-made
75Seneca LakeNew York68sqminatural
78Pickwick LakeAlabama–Mississippi–Tennessee67sqmiman-made
78Table Rock LakeArkansas–Missouri67sqmiman-made
78Cayuga LakeNew York67sqminatural
81Flaming Gorge ReservoirUtah–Wyoming66sqmiman-made
82Richland-Chambers ReservoirTexas64sqmiman-made
83Lake VermilionMinnesota63sqminatural
83Lake OuachitaArkansas63sqmiman-made
83Lake MattamuskeetNorth Carolina63sqminatural
86Watts Bar LakeTennessee61sqmiman-made
86Lake WallulaOregon–Washington61sqmiman-made
88Lake LanierGeorgia59sqmiman-made
89Lake TawakoniTexas57sqmiman-made
89Elephant Butte LakeNew Mexico57sqmiman-made
89Chickamauga LakeTennessee57sqmiman-made
92Grenada LakeMississippi55sqmiman-made
92Lake KissimmeeFlorida55sqminatural
94Lake DardanelleArkansas54sqmiman-made
95Norris LakeTennessee53sqmiman-made
95Canyon Ferry LakeMontana53sqmiman-made
97Lake ChelanWashington52sqminatural
98Cedar Creek LakeTexas51sqmiman-made
98Lake NormanNorth Carolina51sqmiman-made
100Walker LakeNevada50sqminatural102Lake GeorgeNew York56sqminatural
103Great Sacandaga LakeNew York42sqminatural-->

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. One of the Great Lakes; considered the largest lake in the United States by the National Atlas of the United States.
  2. Although it forms one a single hydrological unit with Lake Michigan (their surfaces are at the same elevation and the water flows in either direction in the channel separating them), they are generally considered distinct lakes, and Lake Michigan is generally considered the largest lake entirely within the United States, as Lake Huron and Lake Superior are binational (shared with Canada).
  3. One of the Great Lakes.
  4. The largest salt water lake in the United States.
  5. Largest man-made lake (reservoir) by surface area in the United States.
  6. Largest lake in the South
  7. Often considered an estuary rather than a lake
  8. includes both Upper and Lower Red Lake
  9. highly variable in area
  10. The area of Devils Lake was taken from the summer 2011 record peak of 1454.4feet MSL. Devils Lake has experienced severe flooding and has risen more than 31feet since 1993. Area has increased by 4 times.
  11. http://nd.water.usgs.gov/devilslake/pdf/elevation-area-volume.pdf Devils Lake Elevation-Volume Table
  12. Web site: USGS Devils Lake Flood History . 2011-09-30 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090208085601/http://nd.water.usgs.gov/devilslake/index.html . 2009-02-08 . dead .
  13. http://water.weather.gov/ahps2/hydrograph.php?wfo=fgf&gage=dcbn8&view=1,1,1,1,1,1,1,1%22 National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (NWS AHPS) for Devils Lake at Creel Bay
  14. News: Hubler . Shawn . Abramson . Mark . A Vast Lake Has Captivated California Where Farms Stood a Year Ago . 21 July 2023 . The New York Times . 25 June 2023.
  15. Part of St. Lawrence Seaway
  16. Web site: Alaska Department of Fish and Game . Wildlife Viewing at Tustumena Lake Road - Kenai Peninsula, Alaska Department of Fish and Game . Adfg.alaska.gov . 2022-10-21.

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