Lakes by State: All 50 US States Directory

Connecticut features scenic New England glacial ponds and impoundments like Candlewood Lake, offering tranquil sailing, rowing, and bass angling.

Delaware provides peaceful mill ponds and coastal impoundments offering kayak trails, freshwater fishing, and state park camping.

Maine hosts Moosehead Lake—the largest mountain lake in the eastern US—along with thousands of wilderness ponds framed by northern boreal forests.

Maryland’s western Allegheny Mountains contain Deep Creek Lake, a premier four-season destination for sailing, paddleboarding, and skiing.

Massachusetts features protected drinking water sanctuaries like the pristine Quabbin Reservoir and historic kettle ponds such as Walden Pond.

New Hampshire’s Lakes Region is centered on Lake Winnipesaukee, featuring 264 islands framed by the scenic foothills of the White Mountains.

New Jersey offers Lake Hopatcong in the northern Highlands and peaceful Pine Barrens cedar lakes offering freshwater kayaking and sailing.

New York includes the glacial Finger Lakes, Adirondack gems like Lake George, Lake Champlain border waters, and Great Lakes Erie and Ontario.

Pennsylvania offers Lake Erie’s Presque Isle Bay, the Pocono Mountains natural lakes, and scenic Corps impoundments like Raystown Lake.

The Ocean State features serene inland freshwater reservoirs and ponds, including Scituate Reservoir and Worden Pond.

Vermont’s western boundary is defined by historic Lake Champlain, cradled between the Green Mountains and Adirondacks with island state parks.

Alabama features major Tennessee River impoundments and Coosa River reservoirs famous for world-class bass fishing, sprawling waterfront recreation, and navigable waterways.

Arkansas showcases pristine crystal-clear Ouachita Mountain reservoirs and Ozark highlands lakes celebrated for striped bass, scuba diving, and uninhabited islands.

Florida possesses over 30,000 freshwater lakes formed in limestone sinkhole basins, including Lake Okeechobee, the second-largest freshwater lake within the contiguous US.

Georgia features major Corps of Engineers reservoirs such as Lake Lanier and Lake Hartwell, supplying drinking water, hydroelectric power, and premier boating hubs.

Kentucky boasts more miles of running water than any state except Alaska, complemented by massive impoundments like Kentucky Lake and Lake Cumberland.

Louisiana includes the immense Toledo Bend Reservoir on the Sabine River border, brackish Lake Pontchartrain, and cypress-draped oxbow bayous.

Mississippi features major flood-control reservoirs including Ross Barnett Reservoir near Jackson and Sardis Lake in the northern hill country.

North Carolina features Lake Norman, the inland sea of the Charlotte region, alongside mountain reservoirs like Fontana Lake in the Smokies.

South Carolina features Lake Hartwell, Lake Murray, and the Santee Cooper lakes (Marion and Moultrie), famed for trophy catfish and bass tournaments.

Tennessee features Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) reservoirs along the Tennessee and Cumberland rivers, plus the natural earthquake-formed Reelfoot Lake.

Virginia’s Blue Ridge foothills hold Smith Mountain Lake and Lake Anna, popular for wakeboarding, fishing, and waterfront living.

West Virginia’s Appalachian valleys hold Summersville Lake—the "Little Bahamas of the East"—with turquoise waters, sheer sandstone cliffs, and scuba diving.

Illinois borders the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan along Chicago and contains major prairie flood control reservoirs like Carlyle Lake and Lake Shelbyville.

Indiana offers Lake Michigan shoreline in the north, natural kettle lakes in Kosciusko and Steuben counties, and massive southern reservoirs like Lake Monroe.

Iowa is famous for the Iowa Great Lakes system, including West Okoboji and Spirit Lake, carved by glaciers over 13,000 years ago with exceptional water clarity.

Kansas features expansive flood control reservoirs constructed across the Flint Hills and Smoky Hills, including Milford Lake and Perry Lake.

Michigan is the Great Lakes State, bordered by four of the five Great Lakes (Superior, Michigan, Huron, Erie) and dotted with over 11,000 inland lakes.

Minnesota, the Land of 10,000 Lakes, officially contains 11,842 lakes over 10 acres, including Lake of the Woods, Mille Lacs, and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area.

Missouri is renowned for the Lake of the Ozarks, Table Rock Lake, and Truman Lake, featuring winding shorelines, state parks, and fishing tournaments.

Nebraska is crowned by Lake McConaughy on the North Platte River, boasting white sand beaches and prime walleye fisheries.

North Dakota’s Missouri River was dammed to form Lake Sakakawea, the third-largest reservoir in the United States with miles of badland coastline.

Ohio borders Lake Erie, the Walleye Capital of the World, and features inland reservoirs such as Grand Lake St. Marys and Alum Creek Lake.

South Dakota is traversed by the Missouri River reservoirs including Lake Oahe, stretching 231 miles with rugged prairie bluffs and walleye fisheries.

Wisconsin contains over 15,000 documented inland lakes, headlined by Lake Winnebago, Lake Superior’s Apostle Islands, and northern pine-surrounded kettle waters.

Arizona is home to iconic Colorado River reservoirs and mountain lakes nestled in the Mogollon Rim and White Mountains, providing vital water storage and boating oasis in the desert.

New Mexico’s Rio Grande valley is home to Elephant Butte Reservoir, the state’s largest body of water with warm sandy coves and boating.

Oklahoma contains over one million surface acres of water created by manmade reservoirs, boasting more shoreline than the Atlantic and Gulf coasts combined.

Texas is blessed with vast reservoirs across the Piney Woods, Hill Country Highland Lakes, and red river borders, including Toledo Bend and Lake Texoma.

California hosts spectacular alpine gems in the Sierra Nevada, massive Central Valley reservoirs, and ancient desert saline lakes offering unmatched biodiversity and recreation.

Colorado boasts thousands of glacial tarns above tree line along the Continental Divide and large foothill impoundments like Blue Mesa Reservoir on the Gunnison River.

Idaho features majestic fjord-like glacial lakes in the northern panhandle, including the 1,150-foot deep Lake Pend Oreille and Lake Coeur d'Alene.

Montana holds Flathead Lake—the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi—surrounded by the Mission Mountains and Glacier National Park.

Nevada features Lake Tahoe’s crystal eastern shores, Pyramid Lake’s ancient tufa towers, and Lake Mead’s historic Hoover Dam impoundment.

Oregon is home to Crater Lake, the deepest lake in the United States at 1,949 feet, renowned globally for its pure sapphire blue volcanic caldera waters.

Utah features the famous Great Salt Lake—the largest terminal saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere—and scenic red-rock canyons of Lake Powell.

Wyoming is home to Yellowstone Lake—the largest high-elevation lake in North America above 7,000 feet—and Jackson Lake nestled beneath the Grand Tetons.

Alaska contains more natural lakes than all other states combined, ranging from vast glacial basins in the interior to pristine wilderness alpine waters teeming with wild salmon.

Hawaii features unique crater lakes and tropical reservoir impoundments like Lake Waiau high on Mauna Kea and Wahiawa Reservoir on Oahu.

Washington contains Lake Chelan, a 50-mile glacier-carved fjord reaching 1,486 feet deep into the North Cascades, and Seattle’s Lake Washington.