![](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/cc/Largest_US_Lakes.jpg/400px-Largest_US_Lakes.jpg)
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.
Rank | Name | U.S. states/Canadian provinces/Mexican states | Area | Type | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Lake Superior | Michigan–Minnesota–Wisconsin–Ontario | 31,700 sq mi | 82,103 km2 | natural | [1] |
2 | Lake Huron | Michigan–Ontario | 23,000 sq mi | 59,570 km2 | natural | [2] |
3 | Lake Michigan | Illinois–Indiana–Michigan–Wisconsin | 22,300 sq mi | 57,757 km2 | natural | [3] |
4 | Lake Erie | Michigan–New York–Ohio–Ontario–Pennsylvania | 9,910 sq mi | 25,667 km2 | natural | [3] |
5 | Lake Ontario | New York–Ontario | 7,340 sq mi | 19,011 km2 | natural | [3] |
6 | Lake of the Woods | Manitoba–Minnesota–Ontario | 1,679 sq mi | 4,349 km2 | natural | |
7 | Iliamna Lake | Alaska | 1,014 sq mi | 2,626 km2 | natural | |
8 | Great Salt Lake | Utah | 950 sq mi | 2,460 km2 | natural | salt[4] |
9 | Lake Oahe | North Dakota–South Dakota | 685 sq mi | 1,774 km2 | man-made | [5] |
10 | Lake Okeechobee | Florida | 662 sq mi | 1,715 km2 | natural | [6] |
11 | Lake Pontchartrain | Louisiana | 631 sq mi | 1,634 km2 | natural | brackish[7] |
12 | Lake Sakakawea | North Dakota | 520 sq mi | 1,347 km2 | man-made | |
13 | Lake Champlain | New York–Vermont–Quebec | 490 sq mi | 1,269 km2 | natural | |
14 | Becharof Lake | Alaska | 453 sq mi | 1,173 km2 | natural | |
15 | Lake St. Clair | Michigan–Ontario | 440 sq mi | 1,140 km2 | natural | |
16 | Red Lake | Minnesota | 427 sq mi | 1,106 km2 | natural | [8] |
17 | Selawik Lake | Alaska | 404 sq mi | 1,046 km2 | natural | |
18 | Fort Peck Lake | Montana | 393 sq mi | 1,018 km2 | man-made | |
19 | Salton Sea | California | 347 sq mi | 899 km2 | man-made | salt[9] |
20 | Rainy Lake | Minnesota–Ontario | 345 sq mi | 894 km2 | natural | |
21 | Teshekpuk Lake | Alaska | 320 sq mi | 829 km2 | natural | |
22 | Devils Lake | North Dakota | 300 sq mi | 777 km2 | natural | [10][11][12][13] |
23 | Toledo Bend Reservoir | Louisiana–Texas | 284 sq mi | 736 km2 | man-made | |
24 | Lake Powell | Arizona–Utah | 251 sq mi | 650 km2 | man-made | |
25 | Kentucky Lake | Kentucky–Tennessee | 250 sq mi | 647 km2 | man-made | |
26 | Lake Mead | Arizona–Nevada | 247 sq mi | 640 km2 | man-made | |
27 | Naknek Lake | Alaska | 242 sq mi | 627 km2 | natural | |
28 | Lake Winnebago | Wisconsin | 215 sq mi | 557 km2 | natural | |
29 | Mille Lacs Lake | Minnesota | 207 sq mi | 536 km2 | natural | |
30 | Flathead Lake | Montana | 192 sq mi | 497 km2 | natural | |
31 | Lake Tahoe | California–Nevada | 191 sq mi | 495 km2 | natural | |
32 | Pyramid Lake | Nevada | 183 sq mi | 474 km2 | natural | |
33 | Sam Rayburn Reservoir | Texas | 179 sq mi | 464 km2 | man-made | |
34 | Eufaula Lake | Oklahoma | 169 sq mi | 438 km2 | man-made | |
* | Tulare Lake | California | 168 sq mi | 435 km2 | natural | normally a dry lake, melting snowpack and rainfall have left Tulare Lake at 168 square miles as of June 2023[14] |
35 | Lake Marion | South Carolina | 165 sq mi | 427 km2 | man-made | |
36 | Leech Lake | Minnesota | 161 sq mi | 417 km2 | natural | |
37 | Sardis Lake | Mississippi | 153 sq mi | 396 km2 | man-made | |
38 | Utah Lake | Utah | 151 sq mi | 391 km2 | natural | |
39 | Lake Francis Case | South Dakota | 149 sq mi | 386 km2 | man-made | |
40 | Lake Pend Oreille | Idaho | 148 sq mi | 383 km2 | natural | |
41 | Lake Texoma | Oklahoma–Texas | 139 sq mi | 360 km2 | man-made | |
42 | Yellowstone Lake | Wyoming | 136 sq mi | 352 km2 | natural | |
43 | Falcon Lake | Tamaulipas–Texas | 131 sq mi | 339 km2 | man-made | |
44 | Lake Livingston | Texas | 130 sq mi | 337 km2 | man-made | |
45 | Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake | Washington | 128 sq mi | 332 km2 | man-made | |
46 | Lake Clark | Alaska | 120 sq mi | 311 km2 | natural | |
47 | Moosehead Lake | Maine | 117 sq mi | 303 km2 | natural | |
48 | Lake Strom Thurmond | Georgia–South Carolina | 111 sq mi | 287 km2 | man-made | |
49 | Bear Lake | Idaho–Utah | 109 sq mi | 282 km2 | natural | |
50 | Lake Guntersville | Alabama | 108 sq mi | 280 km2 | man-made | |
51 | Lake St. Francis | New York–Ontario–Quebec | 105 sq mi | 272 km2 | man-made | [15] |
51 | Wheeler Lake | Alabama | 105 sq mi | 272 km2 | man-made | |
53 | Amistad Lake | Coahuila–Texas | 102 sq mi | 264 km2 | man-made | |
54 | Klamath Lake | Oregon | 96 sq mi | 249 km2 | natural | |
55 | Tustumena Lake | Alaska | 94 sq mi | 243 km2 | natural | [16] |
55 | Lake Moultrie | South Carolina | 94 sq mi | 243 km2 | man-made | |
57 | Lake Winnibigoshish | Minnesota | 91 sq mi | 236 km2 | natural | |
57 | Lake Barkley | Kentucky–Tennessee | 91 sq mi | 236 km2 | man-made | |
59 | Lake Sharpe | South Dakota | 89 sq mi | 231 km2 | man-made | |
60 | American Falls Reservoir | Idaho | 88 sq mi | 228 km2 | man-made | |
61 | Lake Hartwell | Georgia–South Carolina | 87 sq mi | 225 km2 | man-made | |
61 | Truman Reservoir | Missouri | 87 sq mi | 225 km2 | man-made | |
63 | Lake of the Ozarks | Missouri | 86 sq mi | 223 km2 | man-made | |
64 | Oneida Lake | New York | 80 sq mi | 207 km2 | natural | |
65 | Lake Cumberland | Kentucky | 79 sq mi | 205 km2 | man-made | |
66 | Kerr Lake | North Carolina–Virginia | 78 sq mi | 202 km2 | man-made | |
67 | Calcasieu Lake | Louisiana | 77 sq mi | 199 km2 | natural | |
68 | Lake Murray | South Carolina | 75 sq mi | 194 km2 | man-made | |
69 | Grand Lake o' the Cherokees | Oklahoma | 73 sq mi | 189 km2 | man-made | |
69 | Lake Koocanusa | British Columbia–Montana | 73 sq mi | 189 km2 | man-made | |
71 | Lake George | Florida | 72 sq mi | 186 km2 | natural | brackish |
72 | Lake Winnipesaukee | New Hampshire | 71 sq mi | 184 km2 | natural | |
72 | Bull Shoals Lake | Arkansas–Missouri | 71 sq mi | 184 km2 | man-made | |
73 | Walter F. George Lake | Alabama–Georgia | 71 sq mi | 184 km2 | man-made | |
74 | Lake Martin | Alabama | 69 sq mi | 179 km2 | man-made | |
75 | Clear Lake | California | 68 sq mi | 176 km2 | natural | |
75 | Robert S. Kerr Lake | Oklahoma | 68 sq mi | 176 km2 | man-made | |
75 | Seneca Lake | New York | 68 sq mi | 176 km2 | natural | |
78 | Pickwick Lake | Alabama–Mississippi–Tennessee | 67 sq mi | 174 km2 | man-made | |
78 | Table Rock Lake | Arkansas–Missouri | 67 sq mi | 174 km2 | man-made | |
78 | Cayuga Lake | New York | 67 sq mi | 174 km2 | natural | |
81 | Flaming Gorge Reservoir | Utah–Wyoming | 66 sq mi | 171 km2 | man-made | |
82 | Richland-Chambers Reservoir | Texas | 64 sq mi | 166 km2 | man-made | |
83 | Lake Vermilion | Minnesota | 63 sq mi | 163 km2 | natural | |
83 | Lake Ouachita | Arkansas | 63 sq mi | 163 km2 | man-made | |
83 | Lake Mattamuskeet | North Carolina | 63 sq mi | 163 km2 | natural | |
86 | Watts Bar Lake | Tennessee | 61 sq mi | 158 km2 | man-made | |
86 | Lake Wallula | Oregon–Washington | 61 sq mi | 158 km2 | man-made | |
88 | Lake Lanier | Georgia | 59 sq mi | 153 km2 | man-made | |
89 | Lake Tawakoni | Texas | 57 sq mi | 148 km2 | man-made | |
89 | Elephant Butte Lake | New Mexico | 57 sq mi | 148 km2 | man-made | |
89 | Chickamauga Lake | Tennessee | 57 sq mi | 148 km2 | man-made | |
92 | Grenada Lake | Mississippi | 55 sq mi | 142 km2 | man-made | |
92 | Lake Kissimmee | Florida | 55 sq mi | 142 km2 | natural | |
94 | Lake Dardanelle | Arkansas | 54 sq mi | 140 km2 | man-made | |
95 | Norris Lake | Tennessee | 53 sq mi | 137 km2 | man-made | |
95 | Canyon Ferry Lake | Montana | 53 sq mi | 137 km2 | man-made | |
97 | Lake Chelan | Washington | 52 sq mi | 135 km2 | natural | |
98 | Cedar Creek Lake | Texas | 51 sq mi | 132 km2 | man-made | |
98 | Lake Norman | North Carolina | 51 sq mi | 132 km2 | man-made | |
100 | Walker Lake | Nevada | 50 sq mi | 129 km2 | natural |
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^ One of the Great Lakes; considered the largest lake in the United States by the National Atlas of the United States.
- ^ 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).
- ^ a b c One of the Great Lakes.
- ^ The largest salt water lake in the United States.
- ^ Largest man-made lake (reservoir) by surface area in the United States.
- ^ Largest lake in the South
- ^ Often considered an estuary rather than a lake
- ^ includes both Upper and Lower Red Lake
- ^ highly variable in area
- ^ The area of Devils Lake was taken from the summer 2011 record peak of 1,454.4 ft (443.3 m) MSL. Devils Lake has experienced severe flooding and has risen more than 31 feet (9.4 m) since 1993. Area has increased by 4 times.
- ^ Devils Lake Elevation-Volume Table
- ^ "USGS Devils Lake Flood History". Archived from the original on 2009-02-08. Retrieved 2011-09-30.
- ^ National Weather Service Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service (NWS AHPS) for Devils Lake at Creel Bay
- ^ Hubler, Shawn; Abramson, Mark (25 June 2023). "A Vast Lake Has Captivated California Where Farms Stood a Year Ago". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 July 2023.
- ^ Part of St. Lawrence Seaway
- ^ Alaska Department of Fish and Game. "Wildlife Viewing at Tustumena Lake Road - Kenai Peninsula, Alaska Department of Fish and Game". Adfg.alaska.gov. Retrieved 2022-10-21.
External links
[edit]- List from the National Atlas of the United States