Ten lakes where the horizon opens wide.
Compare the Minnesota DNR’s ten largest lakes lying entirely within the state, then follow a verified profile, region, map, or trip-planning path.
See the rankingWhat this ranking counts
The order and acre figures reproduce the Minnesota DNR’s published list of the ten largest lakes whose entire waterbody lies within Minnesota. A lake spanning counties appears once. Red Lake follows the DNR’s combined Upper and Lower Red Lake entry.
Lake Superior and Lake of the Woods are not mixed into this ranking because they cross Minnesota’s border. The DNR reports them separately as border lakes.
Primary source: Minnesota DNR, Lakes, rivers, and wetlands facts. Source reviewed July 27, 2026; DNR page marks the figures reviewed in 2013. Open the official list
Minnesota’s ten largest in-state lakes
Each bar uses Red Lake as the 100% comparison. Acre labels carry the exact published values; bars are an orientation aid, not a map.
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Place the big water in context
The collection reaches Northwest, Northeast, and Metro Minnesota. Use the site map hub for county and waterbody context; open official mapping when exact boundaries matter.
