The Widest Lakes In The United States

Our lakes are vital to the wellbeing of planet Earth, especially the larger ones. They are a cherished part of our recreation and vacation time, giving us opportunities to fish, boat, and swim. We also depend on them for food, drinking water, and industry, while the wildlife we share this planet with needs them to survive. Width is certainly not the only way to measure the size of a body of water, but it still matters. The width affects wind speeds and wave size, the number of vital wetlands around the lake, open-water habitats, and temperature variation. And the wider a lake is, the more we enjoy it, since we feel awe when a body of water is so big that we can’t see the other side.

Deciding what the width of any given lake is can be tricky because most are not conveniently round or oval in shape, although some come close, such as Lake Ontario or Lake Erie. Others, such as Lake of the Woods or the Great Salt Lake, are so irregular in shape that measuring side to side is difficult. Lake Huron is particularly hard to measure because of the very large Georgian Bay on its northeast corner. For the purposes of this article, the lakes included are measured in two directions at their maximum point. The width described here is the smaller of the two measurements, whatever direction it runs. Although not chosen for this reason, the eight lakes described here all fall within the contiguous 48 states. These are the widest lakes in the US, placed in order from largest to smallest.

Lake Huron seen here in Michigan. At 183 miles, measured from west to east, Lake Huron is the widest lake in the US. Lake Huron was the first of the Great Lakes to be seen by European explorers. When they did, they may have thought they’d discovered a new ocean, given that in most sections of it, you can’t see the opposite shore.

Lake Huron is bordered by Michigan to the west and southwest and Ontario, Canada to the east. It contains thousands of islands, including Manitoulin Island, the world’s largest freshwater island. The most famous of the islands in Huron is Mackinac Island, a British stronghold during the American Revolution and a battleground in the War of 1812 that is now a major tourist draw. Georgian Bay juts off to the east, appearing almost like another lake.

All of the Great Lakes have commercial traffic of freighters carrying iron ore, grains, and limestone to various destinations, but Huron sees heavy traffic because ships moving between Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, and the lower lakes all pass through it.

Huron is connected to Lake Michigan via the Straits of Mackinac and the famously long Mackinac Bridge. Some geologists say that the two are technically one lake because there is no landmass separating them. The Straits of Mackinac are only five miles wide at the narrowest. Hydraulically speaking, the water levels of both lakes rise and fall at the same time. According to the US Geological Survey, this makes a strong case for them being one lake, but historically they have always been seen as two separate ones and so they will remain.

Lake Superior, Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Michigan. Rocky and forested with towering cliffs in places, Lake Superior is the second widest of the lakes in the US at 160 miles, measured north to south. Though not the widest of the lakes using our metrics, it is the world’s largest freshwater lake when measured by surface area. Deep and cold, it is infamous for its many shipwrecks.

Superior is bordered by Ontario to the north and Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota along its southern edges. It is sparsely populated by humans compared to the other lakes described here, especially along its Canadian side. There are several islands contained within these waters. Wisconsin’s Apostle Islands chain is a major draw for outdoor recreationists. Isle Royale is an important refuge for wolves and moose, and the number of human visitors is carefully regulated. Minnesotans love to vacation along the “North Shore,” as it is called, although it is not the north shore of the lake itself.

Iron ore is exported from the ports of Duluth, Two Harbors, and Marquette and taken to other harbors within the Great Lakes by freighters. For ships, the only way out of the lake is via the Soo Locks at Sault Ste. Marie.

A lakeside view of Lake Michigan with rocks and shoreline in Door County, Wisconsin. Lake Michigan is the only one of the Great Lakes that is fully within the US. It is 118 miles wide from east to west and is surrounded by the states of Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana. It connects with Lake Huron via the Straits of Mackinac, and as described in the section about Lake Huron, many consider them to be just one lake.

There are dozens of beautiful, sandy beaches along its shores. A number of islands are inside of Lake Michigan, including Beaver Island, which is the largest of them. The big cities of Chicago and Milwaukee are right on the shore at the southern end and serve as major ports for freighters and cruise ships, many of which travel under the Mackinac Bridge and stop at Mackinac Island, right on the other side in Lake Huron.

Much of the land along the shores of Lake Michigan is comprised of gentle rolling hills but there are also tall rocky bluffs and large sand dunes in the lower east portions. The shores of this lake are largely populated.

Morning sunrise on Lake of the Woods, Minnesota. Taken at Rocky Point Resort. Lake of the Woods is the most remote of the lakes described here. At its widest point it is 60 miles wide. It’s bordered by the Provinces of Ontario, Manitoba, and also a very interesting part of Minnesota. The Minnesota section can’t be reached via land from the US. It’s nicknamed the Northwest Angle because of a mistake in cartography during the 1783 Treaty of Paris negotiations. This section of land is the northernmost point of the contiguous US. About 70 percent of the Northwest Angle is held in trust for the Red Lake Band of Chippewa Indians.

Lake of the Woods is truly splendid with lush forests and coastlines. In fact, it has roughly 65,000 miles of shoreline, and very little of it is populated. It’s also home to more than 14,000 islands. This lake is famous as a remarkable destination for boating, fishing, remote camping, and outdoor recreation in general.

Shallows of Lake Erie, as seen from Presque Isle State Park, Millcreek Township, Pennsylvania. Lake Erie, named after the Erie Native Americans who once lived there, measures 57 miles at its widest point. It’s bordered by Ontario, Canada to the north and New York, Michigan, Ohio, and Pennsylvania along the southern coastline. The major cities of Cleveland, Toledo, and Buffalo are along the US coast.

Erie is also the shallowest of the Great Lakes. Because it is both so shallow and so wide, winds can easily rile up quite large waves, ones large enough to mimic waves in oceans. Storms that rake across this lake create swift changes in the water levels and also very large temperature swings.

Lake Erie has many busy ports along its coastline that facilitate a number of important industries, including steel, coal, and grain. In the 1960s it became apparent that Erie was suffering from extreme pollution, affecting fish and other wildlife in negative ways. Concerns about mercury contamination prompted Ohio to restrict commercial fishing for certain Lake Erie species in 1970, particularly walleye. Intensive efforts to mitigate this pollution happened because of multiple government regulations that controlled things like agricultural runoff and sewage treatment plants. By the late 1970s these efforts made the lake safe again but unfortunately did long-term damage to some species of fish.

In general, Lake Erie is well populated and is home to many very well-to-do settlements along its coast. Much of it includes very popular tourist destinations with beaches, boating, water skiing, and more.

Rocky beach near Picton Ontario on Lake Ontario.

Lake Ontario is the smallest of the Great Lakes as measured by surface area and is the narrowest of them at 53 miles. Even so, it is surprisingly deep, reaching 802 feet at its maximum, second only to Lake Superior among the Great Lakes. It borders Ontario, Canada to the north and the state of New York along its southern coast. The Canadian city of Toronto stretches along the north coast and is known for its lakefront skyline. Along the US coast lies the large city of Rochester, New York.

Lake Ontario has far smaller temperature swings than Lake Erie does, staying steady according to the season. The lake and its surrounding cities and towns are known for their particularly frigid winters.

The western end of the lake is much more urbanized than the eastern side, which has a great deal of farmland and rural areas. There are also varied shorelines, including bluffs, barrier beaches, wetlands, and large headlands.

The northeastern end of Lake Ontario empties into the St. Lawrence River, which leads to the Thousand Islands. This beautiful area is a favorite for vacationing, with beautiful islands, state parks, camping, and all kinds of water sports.

Great Salt Lake in Utah. The Great Salt Lake is unique in this list because, as the name implies, the water is salty. In fact, it is the largest inland body of salt water in the western hemisphere and one of the most saline in the world. It is even saltier than the oceans because it has no outlet, so water leaves mainly through evaporation and leaves its salts behind. According to the Utah Geological Survey, the lake is 35 miles wide, but its actual width can vary widely because of this evaporation, creating constant rising and falling water levels.

The lake is surrounded on all sides by the state of Utah. To the west lies the Great Salt Lake Desert, an extremely arid environment. On the other sides are sand, salted earth, and marshes.

This lake is uninhabitable by most forms of life, brine shrimp being one of few exceptions. Nonetheless its wetlands and islands are key to the survival of a number of waterfowl, such as pelicans and herons. Although bison are not native to the area, Antelope Island, which is connected to the mainland by a manmade causeway, is now a bison refuge.

The lake has become an important recreational area. Of course, fishing is not possible, since there are no fish, but all kinds of other water sports are enjoyed. The lake is famously buoyant for both swimmers and boaters due to its extreme saltiness. It is also now an important source of mined minerals.

Nearby Salt Lake City was named after the lake by Mormons who began to settle there in 1847, thinking of it as the Promised Land.

Lake Okeechobee, Florida. Lake Okeechobee means “big water” in the language of the Hitchiti Native Americans who once lived and hunted there. It is entirely within the state of Florida, about 40 miles west of West Palm Beach on the edge of the Everglades. At its widest it is about 35 miles, similar in size to the Great Salt Lake. Also similar is how much it can vary from year to year. It is extraordinarily shallow with an average of only nine feet in depth. Because of this, strong winds can create dangerously large waves.

The shallow nature of the lake, combined with the subtropical climate and surrounding wetlands, grasslands, and marshes make it home to a particularly large variety of wildlife. Among the most impressive are massive alligators that frequent the marshes. Other types of reptiles include many kinds of turtles and snakes.

Bobcats, white-tailed deer, and even manatees, in the warmer connecting waterways, populate this lake. All kinds of birds live in this lake too. You’ll find pelicans, herons, egrets, and bald eagles, just as a sample.

Given the rich variety of birds, the lake is a mecca for birdwatchers. Both recreational and commercial fishing is available here and one of the favorite catches is the largemouth bass.

Each of the lakes described here is unique. There are vast differences in their shapes, sizes, and in how they are used. One of them is even salty! One thing they have in common, though, is their crucial support for wildlife. As well, human beings are vitally dependent on these lakes, the water and transportation routes they supply, and their marvelous use as recreational and vacation spots.