America's 5 States With The Most Lakes

Calling all lake lovers — the U.S. is prime vacation territory for you! Some of the most beautiful lakes in the world make their home in the country, whether that's Crater Lake, the deepest in the U.S., tucked into the Oregon Cascades, or the ultra-blue waters of Lake Tahoe, spreading across the California-Nevada state line in the Sierra Nevada mountains. But which states have the most lakes overall? What corners of the country burst with more bodies of water than you can shake a fishing license at?

Well, we decided to find out. To compile our list, we took data from the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) study on the Principal Lakes of the United States to rank the territories with the most lakes in the country. The study filters out small lakes and ponds and includes only waters with more than 10 square miles of surface area. We took those metrics as our base number and counted an extra lake for each of the Great Lakes that bordered one of our states, a process that had little impact on the final five but did alter the order in which they appear.

The result is a handful of places where water-based vacationing is sure to go off with a splash. Regardless of whether you're planning on whizzing around the clear waters of Minnesota's lush Northwoods or cruising the scenic lakeside byways in Alaska, you can't really go wrong.

There's not a single state out there that can even come close to Alaska's lake count. According to the USGS, The Last Frontier is home to more than 90 lakes of 10 square miles or greater. However, other estimates that don't include the USGS's size cutoff put that number far higher. According to World Population Review, which draws on data from a range of sources, including the United Nations and the U.S. Census Bureau, this wild and far-flung region of glaciers and tundra has as many as 3 million naturally occurring lakes, most of which are unnamed. 

But that shouldn't come as too much of a surprise. Alaska is, after all, the single largest state in the country, containing an absurd 665,384 square miles within its borders, meaning it's more than twice the size of Texas. On top of that, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game estimates that a whopping 40% of all the surface water in the United States is found in Alaska. That's a lot of water!

Lots of lakes in this northern land are pretty remote. Take the bear-stalked waters of Lake Clark, a 45-mile-long body of water surrounded by volcanoes and glaciers. The effort required to see Alaska's beautiful lakes can include things like embarking on one of America's most dangerous hikes, a stunning route from Chinitna Bay to Silver Salmon Creek. Access to the region is largely achieved via small-winged aircraft. Other spots are easier to reach, such as the birding haven of Goose Lake in the suburbs of Anchorage.

No list of the U.S. states with the most lakes could possibly be complete without a mention of Minnesota. As well as being called The North Star State, this big cut out of the Midwest goes by another nickname: The Land of 10,000 Lakes. Truth is, there are even more than that, with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources reporting that the territory counts a mega 11,842 lakes in all. Meanwhile, the USGS survey of larger lakes counts more than 40 larger waters when you add in the presence of the Great Lakes here.

Some Minnesota lakes are pretty iconic. Take Lake Superior, the largest of all the Great Lakes and the largest freshwater lake on the globe by surface area. That giant forms quite a hefty chunk of the northwestern border of Minnesota, its shores running all the way from the town of Duluth to the U.S.-Canada border more than 146 miles away. The route on the shore is actually a scenic byway on State Highway 61, where the rushing waters and forest-shrouded camping of Gooseberry Falls State Park meet the strangely pink stones of Iona's Beach.

You also won't have to venture far from Minneapolis to enjoy Minnesota's lake offerings. The bustling Twin Cities sit just 1.5 hours' drive south of Mille Lacs Lake, the second-largest inland lake in the state.

The bronze medal for most lakes in the U.S. is taken by the East Coast gem that is The Pine Tree State. While the official USGS survey lists 25 lakes of over 10 square miles in this corner of the country, other numbers paint an even more watery story. Yep, the University of Maine estimates that there are nearly 6,000 separate lakes here, which combine to cover nearly a million acres in total.

So, where to visit? It's difficult to say, but you won't find yourself wanting, as the state contains quite a few standouts. There's Megunticook Lake, the largest in Knox County at 1,300 acres in size, and a veritable hub for rest and relaxation — summer fishing, swimming at the cove beaches, and hiking in hemlock woods around the banks are all on offer here. There's Sebago Lake, the deepest in Maine, where boaters flock to enjoy vistas of forest-clad hills in the warmer months.

Of course, Maine also boasts water of a more salty kind. In fact, there are 3,500 miles of coastline here, meeting the Atlantic Ocean in grand style. Trade the lakes for the ocean, and you could find yourself watching for whales in Bar Harbor or hitting the scenic sands and surfing of Popham Beach, which boasts some best waves in the state.

Motown, motors, cherries — there are a lot of things that the great state of Michigan is known for. Freshwater should be up there, too, since the USGS reports that there are about 20 lakes with a hefty size of more than 10 square miles in these parts, while the State of Michigan puts the total number of its inland lakes closer to 11,000.

Just a glance at the map is enough to show that this is one lake-heavy corner of the U.S. Michigan is split in two by the Straits of Mackinac, with the Upper Peninsula to the north and the Lower Peninsula to the south. The Great Lakes happily impose themselves on all sides. Starting in the southeast, they fan out; first Lake Erie, then Lake Huron, Lake Superior, and finally the eponymous Lake Michigan to the west. This geography has even given birth to the local myth that you're never more than 85 miles from one of the Great Lakes here.

Smaller lakes pepper the backcountry of Michigan, too. Torch Lake is known as one of the most beautiful in the state, with its crystal-clear waters that have even led some to compare it to the Caribbean Sea. Visitors and locals alike also wax lyrical about Higgins Lake, a glacier-made expanse of shimmering water featuring state parks offering camping, boat launches, and beautiful beachfronts.

Florida is well known as the Sunshine State, but it could just as well be called the "Water State" or the "Lake State." The reason? The USGS's survey counts 19 large lakes here, while the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the body responsible for managing wildlife resources across the region, says there are as many as 7,500 lakes when counting smaller bodies of water (those under 10 square miles).

The obvious place to go looking would be Lake County (the clue's in the name). It encompasses an area of central Florida that has a whopping 1,000 lakes on its own, knitted together by riverways and the occasional band of undulating hills. The southern part of the county is even home to the Clermont Chain of Lakes, which unfurls like a tiara of waters along the bends of the Palatlakaha River. You'll get 17 lakes for the price of one there!

Then there's the hiking, camping, and wildlife of the Kissimmee Chain of Lakes, a 21,000-acre water wonderland that spans two counties. Going there means entering the headwaters of the iconic Everglades, a land of sawgrass meadows and hammocks, where bald eagles and tortoises can be spotted in the surrounding nature reserves.