Two canoes crossing open water between forested points in the Boundary Waters

Updated August 2026

Biggest Lake in New York: Oneida Lake (50,894 acres)

Oneida Lake is New York's largest inland lake per the NYS DEC. Below: 50 New York lakes ranked by surface area.

The largest lake in New York is Oneida Lake at 50,894 acres , in Madison, Onondaga, Oswego and Oneida County, according to the NYS DEC. Lake Ontario is a Great Lake shared with Ontario, Canada; Lake Erie (9,910 sq mi, also shared) and Lake Champlain (shared with Vermont and Quebec) likewise exceed Oneida. DEC's own framing is that Oneida is the largest lake lying wholly within New York State.

See our Oneida Lake water-quality report card NR

Source: NYS DEC (2026-07-30). The table below ranks the New York lakes in our own index by surface area.

Lakes with area data

51,324

Largest (acres)

2,160

Median of top 50

5/50

Reservoirs (vs natural)

Reading New York's size profile

New York's largest lake by surface area is Oneida Lake in Oswego County, spanning 51,324 acres. Most of New York'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 New York by surface area

#	Lake	County	Surface area	Max depth	Grade
1	Oneida Lake	Oswego	51,324 acres	-	NR
2	Great Sacandaga Lake	Fulton	20,651 acres	-	NR
3	Black Lake	St. Lawrence	7,856 acres	-	NR
4	Cranberry Lake	St. Lawrence	6,909 acres	-	NR
5	Stillwater Reservoir	Herkimer	6,233 acres	-	NR
6	Pepacton Reservoir	Delaware	5,727 acres	-	NR
7	Raquette Pond	St. Lawrence	5,231 acres	-	NR
8	Ashokan Reservoir	Ulster	5,162 acres	-	NR
9	Upper Saranac Lake	Franklin	4,870 acres	-	NR
10	Cannonsville Reservoir	Delaware	4,718 acres	-	NR
11	Indian Lake	Hamilton	4,304 acres	-	NR
12	Otsego Lake	Otsego	4,171 acres	-	NR
13	Long Lake	Hamilton	4,168 acres	-	NR
14	Carry Falls Reservoir	St. Lawrence	3,074 acres	-	NR
15	Onondaga Lake	Onondaga	2,976 acres	-	NR
16	Piseco Lake	Hamilton	2,850 acres	-	NR
17	Grass Pond	Hamilton	2,808 acres	-	NR
18	Hinckley Reservoir	Herkimer	2,708 acres	-	NR
19	Upper Chateaugay Lake	Clinton	2,550 acres	-	NR
20	Delta Reservoir	Oneida	2,378 acres	-	NR
21	North Pond	Oswego	2,339 acres	-	NR
22	Otisco Lake	Onondaga	2,291 acres	-	NR
23	Little Tupper Lake	Hamilton	2,288 acres	-	NR
24	Great Sacandaga Lake	Saratoga	2,207 acres	-	NR
25	Lake Placid	Essex	2,173 acres	-	NR
26	New Croton Reservoir	Westchester	2,160 acres	-	NR
27	Lower Saranac Lake	Franklin	2,151 acres	-	NR
28	Rondout Reservoir	Ulster	2,120 acres	-	NR
29	Hemlock Lake	Livingston	2,054 acres	-	NR
30	Cross Lake	Cayuga	1,999 acres	-	NR
31	Chazy Lake	Clinton	1,845 acres	-	NR
32	Tomhannock Reservoir	Rensselaer	1,709 acres	-	NR
33	Union Falls Pond	Franklin	1,631 acres	-	NR
34	Sacandaga Lake	Hamilton	1,608 acres	-	NR
35	Neversink Reservoir	Sullivan	1,539 acres	-	NR
36	Lake Lila	Hamilton	1,437 acres	-	NR
37	Middle Saranac Lake	Franklin	1,415 acres	-	NR
38	Kensico Reservoir	Westchester	1,336 acres	-	NR
39	Alcove Reservoir	Albany	1,321 acres	-	NR
40	Peck Lake	Fulton	1,300 acres	-	NR
41	Lake Bonaparte	Lewis	1,286 acres	-	NR
42	Big Moose Lake	Herkimer	1,233 acres	-	NR
43	Meacham Lake	Franklin	1,203 acres	-	NR
44	Muscoot Reservoir	Westchester	1,163 acres	-	NR
45	Schoharie Reservoir	Schoharie	1,159 acres	-	NR
46	Fulton Chain Lakes	Herkimer	1,136 acres	-	NR
47	Lake Clear	Franklin	1,108 acres	-	NR
48	Woodhull Lake	Herkimer	1,088 acres	-	NR
49	Lake Montauk	Suffolk	1,078 acres	-	NR
50	Seventh Lake	Hamilton	951 acres	-	NR

Get updates on New York's largest lakes

New grades and algae readings on these waters as samples come in. Unsubscribe anytime.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the largest lake in New York?

Oneida Lake, at 50,894 acres, in Madison, Onondaga, Oswego and Oneida County. Lake Ontario is a Great Lake shared with Ontario, Canada; Lake Erie (9,910 sq mi, also shared) and Lake Champlain (shared with Vermont and Quebec) likewise exceed Oneida. DEC's own framing is that Oneida is the largest lake lying wholly within New York State. Source: NYS DEC, 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 New York's largest lakes natural or reservoirs?

Of the top 50 New York lakes by area, 5 sit on a dammed river (reservoirs) and 45 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 New York lake in this ranking?

Across the top 50 New York lakes by surface area, the median is 2,160 acres (New Croton Reservoir). This list is biased toward the biggest waters; the typical New York lake is far smaller.

Where to stay near New York's largest lakes

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

Deepest lakes in New York →Cleanest lakes in New York →Largest lakes (all states) →All New York lakes →