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Updated August 2026

Biggest Lake in North Dakota: Lake Sakakawea

Lake Sakakawea is North Dakota's largest lake per the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department. Below: 50 North Dakota lakes ranked by surface area.

The largest lake in North Dakota is Lake Sakakawea , in McLean, Mercer, Dunn, Mountrail, McKenzie, Williams County, according to the North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department.

Published figures for Lake Sakakawea differ between sources — North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department gives 368,000 acres — so we name the lake but don't state a single acreage as settled.

See our Lake Sakakawea water-quality report card NR

Source: North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department (2026-07-30). The table below ranks the North Dakota lakes in our own index by surface area.

Lakes with area data

19,095

Largest (acres)

1,948

Median of top 50

9/50

Reservoirs (vs natural)

Reading North Dakota's size profile

North Dakota's largest lake by surface area is Lake Audubon in McLean County, spanning 19,095 acres. Most of North Dakota's biggest waters are natural basins left by glaciers, with stable shorelines and deep main basins.

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 North Dakota by surface area

#	Lake	County	Surface area	Max depth	Grade
1	Lake Audubon	McLean	19,095 acres	-	B
2	Lake Sakakawea	Dunn	17,782 acres	-	NR
3	Jamestown Reservoir	Stutsman	17,427 acres	-	C
4	Long Lake	Kidder	13,312 acres	-	NR
5	Lake Tschida	Grant	10,953 acres	-	C
6	Horsehead Lake	Kidder	7,412 acres	-	NR
7	Lake Ashtabula	Barnes	5,470 acres	-	C
8	Chain Lake	Ramsey	4,769 acres	-	NR
9	Upper Des Lacs Lake	Burke	4,273 acres	-	NR
10	Mikes Lake	Ramsey	4,240 acres	-	NR
11	Long Lake	Burleigh	4,105 acres	-	NR
12	Lake Alice	Ramsey	3,067 acres	-	D
13	Swan Lake	Nelson	2,999 acres	-	NR
14	McKenna Lake	Logan	2,896 acres	-	NR
15	Chase Lake	Stutsman	2,713 acres	-	NR
16	Round Lake	Pierce	2,585 acres	-	NR
17	Dry Lake	McIntosh	2,413 acres	-	NR
18	White Lake	Mountrail	2,408 acres	-	NR
19	Alkaline Lake	Kidder	2,342 acres	-	NR
20	Alkali Lake	Kidder	2,334 acres	-	NR
21	Cranberry Lake	Benson	2,305 acres	-	NR
22	Hurricane Lake	Pierce	2,231 acres	-	NR
23	E A Patterson Lake	Stark	2,158 acres	-	C
24	Pipestem Lake	Stutsman	1,955 acres	-	NR
25	Long Lake	Rolette	1,952 acres	-	NR
26	Lake George	Kidder	1,948 acres	-	NR
27	Island Lake	Rolette	1,887 acres	-	NR
28	Bowman-Haley Dam Lake	Bowman	1,750 acres	-	D
29	Goose Lake	Emmons	1,685 acres	-	NR
30	Arrowwood Lake	Stutsman	1,684 acres	-	NR
31	Mud Lake	Benson	1,681 acres	-	NR
32	Grass Lake	Pierce	1,659 acres	-	NR
33	Lake Metigoshe	Bottineau	1,620 acres	-	B
34	Rush Lake	Pierce	1,609 acres	-	NR
35	Sweetwater Lake	Ramsey	1,597 acres	-	NR
36	Jim Lake	Stutsman	1,521 acres	-	NR
37	Girard Lake	Pierce	1,462 acres	-	NR
38	Kunkel Lake	Kidder	1,444 acres	-	NR
39	Mud Lake	Kidder	1,440 acres	-	NR
40	Buffalo Lodge Lake	McHenry	1,395 acres	-	NR
41	Goose Lake	McIntosh	1,324 acres	-	NR
42	Cottonwood Lake	Mountrail	1,250 acres	-	NR
43	Horseshoe Lake	Pierce	1,225 acres	-	NR
44	Smoky Lake	McHenry	1,200 acres	-	NR
45	Sibley Lake	Kidder	1,162 acres	-	NR
46	Lake Bertha	Cass	1,153 acres	-	NR
47	Hobart Lake	Barnes	1,128 acres	-	NR
48	Lake Tewaukon	Sargent	1,116 acres	-	NR
49	Lake Ibsen	Benson	1,082 acres	-	NR
50	Demicks Lake	McKenzie	1,067 acres	-	NR

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the largest lake in North Dakota?

Lake Sakakawea, in McLean, Mercer, Dunn, Mountrail, McKenzie, Williams County. Source: North Dakota Parks and Recreation Department, 2026-07-30.

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 North Dakota's largest lakes natural or reservoirs?

Of the top 50 North Dakota lakes by area, 9 sit on a dammed river (reservoirs) and 41 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 North Dakota lake in this ranking?

Across the top 50 North Dakota lakes by surface area, the median is 1,948 acres (Lake George). This list is biased toward the biggest waters; the typical North Dakota lake is far smaller.

Where to stay near North Dakota's largest lakes

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

Deepest lakes in North Dakota →Cleanest lakes in North Dakota →Largest lakes (all states) →All North Dakota lakes →