WI · ranked by public data

The 25 Biggest Lakes in Wisconsin

The biggest lakes in Wisconsin, ranked by documented surface acreage from DNR records — natural lakes and flowages alike. No hand-typed top-10s: these are the actual acreage figures, each linking to a full lake profile with public landings and fishery data.

205 Wisconsin lakes cover at least 500 acres. Updated July 2026.

205lakes cover at least 500 acres

Lake Winnebago#1 at 131,939 acres

Vilas Countymost qualifying lakes (39)

Methodology

How we rank Wisconsin's biggest lakes

Ranked strictly by documented surface acres from DNR lake records.
Flowages and reservoirs count — they are lakes in the DNR's books, and some of the state's biggest water is impounded.
Lakes without documented acreage are excluded rather than estimated.
Lakes under 50 acres — or without documented acreage — are excluded from rankings.
Public access is shown for every lake but never affects the ranking.

Every number on this page comes from the same public agency records that power each lake's profile, and the list is recomputed as that data updates — it cannot silently go stale the way a hand-written top-10 does.

The ranking

Wisconsin's biggest lakes, ranked

1131,939 ac
131,939 acres
Winnebago County, WI
Lake Winnebago
enhancedDepth mapWater data
44.00, -88.43131,939 acres | 21 ft max20 public access pointsCatfish, Panfish
131,939 acres · 21 ft max depth · 20 public landings
223,173 ac
23,173 acres
Adams County, WI
Petenwell Lake
enhancedDepth mapWater data
44.15, -89.9523,173 acres | 44 ft max15 public access pointsPanfish, Walleye
23,173 acres · 44 ft max depth · 15 public landings
314,593 ac
14,593 acres
Sawyer County, WI
Lake Chippewa
enhancedDepth mapStockedWater data
45.93, -91.2114,593 acres | 92 ft max6 public access pointsWalleye, Largemouth Bass
14,593 acres · 92 ft max depth · 6 public landings
414,024 ac
14,024 acres
Winnebago County, WI
Lake Poygan
enhancedDepth mapStockedWater data
44.15, -88.8414,024 acres | 11 ft max6 public access pointsCatfish, Panfish
14,024 acres · 11 ft max depth · 6 public landings
513,955 ac
13,955 acres
Juneau County, WI
Castle Rock Lake
enhancedDepth mapWater data
43.94, -89.9713,955 acres | 35 ft max10 public access pointsPanfish, Walleye
13,955 acres · 35 ft max depth · 10 public landings
612,942 ac
12,942 acres
Iron County, WI
Turtle-Flambeau Flowage
enhancedDepth mapStockedDNR impairmentWater data
46.07, -90.1412,942 acres | 50 ft max5 public access pointsNorthern Pike, Walleye
12,942 acres · 50 ft max depth · 5 public landings · DNR impairment listed
710,595 ac
10,595 acres
Jefferson County, WI
Lake Koshkonong
enhancedDepth mapDNR impairmentWater data
42.87, -88.9710,595 acres | 7 ft max4 public access pointsPanfish, Catfish
10,595 acres · 7 ft max depth · 4 public landings · DNR impairment listed
89,781 ac
9,781 acres
Dane County, WI
Lake Mendota
enhancedDepth mapShore accessDNR impairmentWater data
43.11, -89.419,781 acres | 83 ft max12 public access pointsPanfish, Catfish
9,781 acres · 83 ft max depth · 12 public landings · DNR impairment listed
98,581 ac
8,581 acres
Winnebago County, WI
Lake Butte des Morts
enhancedDepth mapDNR impairmentWater data
44.07, -88.648,581 acres | 9 ft max3 public access pointsCatfish, Northern Pike
8,581 acres · 9 ft max depth · 3 public landings · DNR impairment listed
108,391 ac
8,391 acres
La Crosse County, WI
Lake Onalaska
enhancedDepth mapWater data
43.91, -91.308,391 acres | 40 ft max7 public access pointsPanfish, Largemouth Bass
8,391 acres · 40 ft max depth · 7 public landings

Rank	Lake	County	Acres	Max depth	Public access
11	Green Lakeimpaired	Green Lake	7,920 ac	236 ft	8 landings
12	Lake Wisconsinimpaired	Columbia	7,197 ac	24 ft	15 landings
13	Beaver Dam Lakeimpaired	Dodge	6,718 ac	7 ft	8 landings
14	Shawano Lakeimpaired	Shawano	6,215 ac	40 ft	9 landings
15	Lake Wissota	Chippewa	6,148 ac	64 ft	6 landings
16	Lake Geneva	Walworth	5,401 ac	135 ft	6 landings
17	Lac Courte Oreilles	Sawyer	5,139 ac	90 ft	3 landings
18	Puckaway Lakeimpaired	Green Lake	5,013 ac	5 ft	4 landings
19	Lake Winneconneimpaired	Winnebago	4,553 ac	9 ft	2 landings
20	Lac Vieux Desert	Vilas	4,017 ac	38 ft	3 landings
21	Trout Lake	Vilas	3,864 ac	117 ft	4 landings
22	Pelican Lake	Oneida	3,545 ac	39 ft	5 landings
23	Fence Lake	Vilas	3,483 ac	86 ft	1 landing
24	Long Lake	Washburn	3,478 ac	74 ft	4 landings
25	Tomahawk Lake	Oneida	3,462 ac	84 ft	4 landings

By county

Biggest lakes by county

Vilas County (39)

Lac Vieux Desert · 4,017 ac

Oneida County (27)

Pelican Lake · 3,545 ac

Sawyer County (15)

Lake Chippewa · 14,593 ac

Burnett County (12)

Yellow Lake · 2,283 ac

Polk County (8)

Balsam Lake · 1,901 ac

Barron County (6)

Red Cedar Lake · 1,897 ac

Bayfield County (6)

Namekagon Lake · 2,897 ac

Forest County (6)

Metonga Lake · 2,039 ac

Washburn County (6)

Long Lake · 3,478 ac

Waukesha County (6)

Pewaukee Lake · 2,437 ac

Price County (5)

Butternut Lake · 983 ac

Walworth County (5)

Lake Geneva · 5,401 ac

FAQ

Wisconsin lake records FAQ

What is the biggest lake in Wisconsin?

Lake Winnebago — Lake Winnebago in Winnebago County is the biggest lake in Wisconsin, at 131,939 acres.

How many Wisconsin lakes cover at least 500 acres?

205 Wisconsin lakes currently cover at least 500 acresin LakeList's aggregation of public DNR records.

Where do these numbers come from?

Every figure is drawn from public agency data — Wisconsin DNR lake records and monitoring programs — as aggregated by LakeList. Nothing on this list is estimated or crowd-sourced, and each lake links to a full profile showing the underlying records.

Deepest lakes Clearest lakes Lakes with the most public access Best lakes by species All Wisconsin lakes

Source data: Wisconsin DNR lake and monitoring records as aggregated by LakeList. Figures reflect the most recent documented values, not new surveys, and conditions change — verify access and rules before you go. Lake outlines are shoreline shapes from LakeList and the USGS National Hydrography Dataset; they illustrate a lake's form and are not depth or navigation charts.