What Is the Largest Lake in Minnesota?
Rainy Lake in Koochiching County is the largest fully-monitored lake in our Minnesota dataset at 210,200 acres. Lake of the Woods is technically larger but spans the U.S.–Canada border. Below: the 25 largest monitored Minnesota lakes by surface area.
Top 25 Largest Minnesota Lakes
Ranked by surface area (acres).
- 1. Rainy Lake — 210,200 acres (Koochiching County, Grade D)
- 2. Rainy Lake — 210,200 acres (St. Louis County, Grade D)
- 3. Rainy Lake — 210,200 acres (St. Louis County, Grade C)
- 4. Rainy Lake — 210,200 acres (St. Louis County, Grade C)
- 5. Rainy Lake — 210,200 acres (Koochiching County, Grade D)
- 6. Rainy Lake — 210,200 acres (Koochiching County, Grade D)
- 7. Rainy Lake — 210,200 acres (Koochiching County, Grade D)
- 8. Rainy Lake — 210,200 acres (Koochiching County, Grade D)
- 9. Rainy Lake — 210,200 acres (Koochiching County, Grade C)
- 10. Mille Lacs Lake — 128,250 acres (Aitkin County, Grade B)
- 11. Mille Lacs Lake — 128,250 acres (Mille Lacs County, Grade C)
- 12. Ml-Nw Lake — 128,250 acres (Aitkin County, Grade B)
- 13. Ml-Ditch 36 Lake — 128,250 acres (Aitkin County, Grade B)
- 14. Ml-Thains Lake — 128,250 acres (Mille Lacs County, Grade A)
- 15. Ml-Ce Lake — 128,250 acres (Aitkin County, Grade B)
- 16. Ml-Seventeen Lake — 128,250 acres (Aitkin County, Grade A)
- 17. Ml Lake — 128,250 acres (Mille Lacs County, Grade A)
- 18. Ml Lake — 128,250 acres (Mille Lacs County, Grade A)
- 19. Ml-Se Lake — 128,250 acres (Mille Lacs County, Grade B)
- 20. Ml-Vineland Lake — 128,250 acres (Mille Lacs County, Grade A)
- 21. Ml-Peterson Lake — 128,250 acres (Mille Lacs County, Grade A)
- 22. Ml-Malone Lake — 128,250 acres (Mille Lacs County, Grade A)
- 23. Ml-Garrison Lake — 128,250 acres (Aitkin County, Grade B)
- 24. Ml-Nshore Lake — 128,250 acres (Aitkin County, Grade B)
- 25. Ml-Ne Lake — 128,250 acres (Aitkin County, Grade B)
The Big Three: Red Lake, Mille Lacs, Leech Lake
Three Minnesota lakes consistently rank near the top of any size list: Red Lake (split into Upper and Lower), Mille Lacs Lake, and Leech Lake. Each supports a distinct walleye fishery and economy. Mille Lacs has been the subject of decades of fishery management debate around tribal treaty rights and population recovery.