Largest Lakes in Missouri

50 Missouri lakes with measured surface area, ranked by acreage. The biggest lake in Missouri is H.S. Truman Res. Nr. Dam Lake, which tops the list at 55,600 acres in Benton County.

Lakes with area data

55,600

Largest (acres)

380

Median of top 50

50/50

Reservoirs (vs natural)

Reading Missouri's size profile

Missouri's largest lake by surface area is H.S. Truman Res. Nr. Dam Lake in Benton County, spanning 55,600 acres. Most of Missouri's biggest waters are reservoirs — dammed river valleys built for water supply, flood control, and recreation, so their footprints shift with pool level.

Surface area is a poor proxy for water quality on its own — a large lake can hold a clean, deep core and a nutrient-loaded bay at the same time. Each lake below links to its full report card with grade, clarity, depth, and EPA impairment status. Area figures come from state DNR surveys and the USACE National Inventory of Dams; grades come from EPA and state monitoring data.

The 50 biggest lakes in Missouri by surface area

#	Lake	County	Surface area	Max depth	Grade
1	H.S. Truman Res. Nr. Dam Lake	Benton	55,600 acres	-	C
2	Loto Upstream of Dam Lake	Miller	55,342 acres	-	B
3	Table Rock Lake	Taney	43,100 acres	-	B
4	Table Rock Lk. Into Main Channel From Dam Lake	Stone	43,100 acres	-	B
5	Stockton Lake	Cedar	24,900 acres	-	B
6	Lake Wappapello Nr. Dam	Wayne	23,200 acres	-	D
7	Pomme de Terre L. Lake	Hickory	7,820 acres	-	C
8	Smithville Lake	Clay	7,190 acres	-	D
9	Mark Twain Lake	Ralls	5,900 acres	-	D
10	Thomas Hill Res. Nr. Dam Lake	Randolph	3,500 acres	-	D
11	Long Branch Lk. Lake	Macon	2,430 acres	-	D
12	Montrose Lake	Henry	1,700 acres	-	F
13	Clearwater Lake	Reynolds	1,630 acres	-	C
14	Clearwater Lake Nr. Dam	Wayne	1,630 acres	-	B
15	Jacomo Lake	Jackson	1,221 acres	-	C
16	Mozingo Lake Between Arms	Nodaway	1,009 acres	-	C
17	Longview Lake by Dam	Jackson	930 acres	-	C
18	Fellows Lake	Greene	812 acres	-	B
19	Blue Springs L. Nr. Dam Lake	Jackson	722 acres	-	D
20	Forest Lake	Adair	646 acres	-	B
21	Lake St. Louis	St. Charles	563 acres	-	D
22	Hazel Creek Lk. Lake	Adair	515 acres	-	C
23	Lotawana Lk. Lake	Jackson	480 acres	-	C
24	Raintree Lake	Cass	475 acres	-	F
25	Harrisonville Lake	Cass	398 acres	-	F
26	Holden City Lake Nr. Dam	Johnson	380 acres	-	F
27	Goose Creek Lake	Ste. Genevieve	379 acres	-	A
28	Lake Springfield	Greene	360 acres	-	D
29	Indian Hills Lake Nr. Dam	Crawford	355 acres	-	D
30	Alpine Lake	Warren	325 acres	-	A
31	Sugar Creek Lake	Randolph	323 acres	-	D
32	Prairie Lee Lake Nr. Dam	Jackson	300 acres	-	D
33	Harrison County Lake Intake	Harrison	292 acres	-	D
34	Edwin A Pape Lake	Lafayette	284 acres	-	F
35	Lake Paho	Mercer	269 acres	-	D
36	Lake Nehai Tonkayea	Chariton	250 acres	-	B
37	Hunnewell Lake	Shelby	228 acres	-	D
38	Elmwood Lake	Sullivan	224 acres	-	F
39	Hemitite Lake	St. Francois	220 acres	-	F
40	Macon City Lake	Macon	205 acres	-	D
41	Sunnen Lake	Washington	198 acres	-	D
42	Little Dixie Lk. Lake	Callaway	196 acres	-	F
43	Indian Creek Lake	Livingston	192 acres	-	D
44	Port Perry Lake	Perry	187 acres	-	A
45	Weatherby Lake	Platte	186 acres	-	B
46	King Lake	DeKalb	184 acres	-	F
47	Dc Rogers Lake Nr. Dam	Howard	184 acres	-	D
48	Cameron Lake Nr. Dam	DeKalb	177 acres	-	F
49	Marceline City Lake New Nr. Dam	Chariton	177 acres	-	C
50	Peaceful Valley Lake	Gasconade	164 acres	-	C

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the largest lake in Missouri?

The largest lake in Missouri in the LakeGrade dataset is H.S. Truman Res. Nr. Dam Lake in Benton County at 55,600 acres. Water quality grade: C.

How is lake surface area measured?

Surface area comes from state DNR lake surveys and, for reservoirs, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Inventory of Dams records. Area is reported in acres at normal pool level. Reservoirs rise and fall with management and drought, so their listed area is the long-term normal rather than a single-day reading.

Are Missouri's largest lakes natural or reservoirs?

Of the top 50 Missouri lakes by area, 50 sit on a dammed river (reservoirs) and 0 are natural basins. Glacial states (MN, WI, MI, NY) skew natural; plains and southern states (MO, IA, ND, OH) skew toward reservoirs built for water supply, flood control, and recreation.

Do larger lakes have better water quality?

Not reliably. Quality varies more within a big lake than between lakes — a large lake can have a clean, deep main basin and a murky, algae-prone bay fed by a tributary, so one grade can mask wide swings. Depth, watershed land use, and how fast the lake flushes matter far more than raw surface area.

How big is the typical Missouri lake in this ranking?

Across the top 50 Missouri lakes by surface area, the median is 380 acres (Holden City Lake Nr. Dam). This list is biased toward the biggest waters; the typical Missouri lake is far smaller.

Where to stay near Missouri's largest lakes

Planning a trip? Jump to live cabin, resort, and hotel availability near Missouri's biggest lakes.

Deepest lakes in Missouri →Cleanest lakes in Missouri →Largest lakes (all states) →All Missouri lakes →