Where’s The Bottom? This American Lake Plunges Almost 2,000 Feet Deep

While many lakes impress with their vast surfaces, their greatest wonders often lie far below. Beneath those calm horizons, some descend into immense underwater realms that rival the scale and mystery of the oceans. Towering above all others is Lake Baikal in southern Siberia. As the deepest lake on the planet, this body of water plunges an incredible 5,387 feet, more than a mile into Earth’s crust. This immense basin is not only a geological marvel but also a time capsule, holding ancient waters and species found nowhere else on Earth.

Though no American lake reaches Baikal’s otherworldly depths, the United States hosts dozens of lakes that push nature’s limits in their own right. Shaped by volcanoes, glaciers, and tectonic shifts, these waters reveal the immense power of the planet’s past. Using detailed topographic data from TopoZone, we’ve identified the 50 deepest lakes in the country, offering a glimpse into the hidden landscapes that define America’s most breathtaking inland waters.

50. Rock Lake

• Depth: 375 feet

• Surface area: 2,190 acres

• Location: Washington

• Type: Natural

49. St. James Mine Pit Lake

• Depth: 380 feet

• Surface area: 105 acres

• Location: Minnesota

• Type: Man-made

48. Yellowstone Lake

• Depth: 394 feet

• Surface area: 87,040 acres

• Location: Wyoming

• Type: Natural

47. Navajo Lake Reservoir

• Depth: 394 feet

• Surface area: 14,500 acres

• Location: New Mexico and Colorado

• Type: Natural

46. Lake Champlain

• Depth: 400 feet

• Surface area: 271,000 acres

• Location: Vermont and New York

• Type: Natural

45. Morrow Point Reservoir

• Depth: 400 feet

• Surface area: 817 acres

• Location: Colorado

• Type: Man-made

44. Ross Lake

• Depth: 400 feet

• Surface area: 11,700 acres

• Location: Washington

• Type: Man-made

43. Lake Roosevelt

• Depth: 400 feet

• Surface area: 81,000 acres

• Location: Washington

• Type: Man-made

42. Fallen Leaf Lake

• Depth: 415 feet

• Surface area: 1,562 acres

• Location: California

• Type: Natural

41. Waldo Lake

• Depth: 420 feet

• Surface area: 6,298 acres

• Location: Oregon

• Type: Natural

40. Lake Kachess

• Depth: 430 feet

• Surface area: 4,535 acres

• Location: Washington

• Type: Natural

39. Lake Ore Be Gone

• Depth: 433 feet

• Surface area: 140 acres

• Location: Minnesota

• Type: Man-made

38. Cayuga Lake

• Depth: 435 feet

• Surface area: 42,500 acres

• Location: New York

• Type: Natural

37. Flaming Gorge Reservoir

• Depth: 436 feet

• Surface area: 42,020 acres

• Location: Utah and Wyoming

• Type: Man-made

36. Jackson Lake

• Depth: 438 feet

• Surface area: 25,540 acres

• Location: Wyoming

• Type: Natural

35. Fontana Lake

• Depth: 440 feet

• Surface area: 10,230 acres

• Location: North Carolina

• Type: Man-made

34. Detroit Lake

• Depth: 440 feet

• Surface area: 3,500 acres

• Location: Oregon

• Type: Natural

33. Tally Lake

• Depth: 445 feet

• Surface area: 1,211 acres

• Location: Montana

• Type: Natural

32. Carters Lake

• Depth: 450 feet

• Surface area: 3,200 acres

• Location: Georgia

• Type: Man-made

31. Portsmouth Mine Pit Lake

• Depth: 450 feet

• Surface area: 121 acres

• Location: Minnesota

• Type: Man-made

30. Embarrass Mine Pit Lake

• Depth: 465 feet

• Surface area: 463 acres

• Location: Minnesota

• Type: Man-made

29. Trinity Lake

• Depth: 465 feet

• Surface area: 16,530 acres

• Location: California

• Type: Man-made

28. Blue Lake

• Depth: 468 feet

• Surface area: 1,225 acres

• Location: Alaska

• Type: Man-made

27. Lake McDonald

• Depth: 472 feet

• Surface area: 6,823 acres

• Location: Montana

• Type: Natural

26. Upper Waterton Lake

• Depth: 490 feet

• Surface area: 2,496 acres

• Location: Montana

• Type: Natural

25. Hungry Horse Reservoir

• Depth: 490 feet

• Surface area: 23,800 acres

• Location: Montana

• Type: Man-made

24. Shasta Lake

• Depth: 517 feet

• Surface area: 30,000 acres

• Location: California

• Type: Man-made

23. Skilak Lake

• Depth: 528 feet

• Surface area: 25,000 acres

• Location: Alaska

• Type: Natural

22. Lake Mead

• Depth: 530 feet

• Surface area: 158,100 acres

• Location: Arizona and Nevada

• Type: Man-made

21. Kenai Lake

• Depth: 541 feet

• Surface area: 13,810 acres

• Location: Alaska

• Type: Natural

20. New Melones Lake

• Depth: 565 feet

• Surface area: 12,500 acres

• Location: California

• Type: Man-made

19. Lake Powell

• Depth: 580 feet

• Surface area: 162,600 acres

• Location: Arizona and Utah

• Type: Man-made

18. Becharof Lake

• Depth: 600 feet

• Surface area: 300,000 acres

• Location: Alaska

• Type: Natural

17. Fremont Lake

• Depth: 610 feet

• Surface area: 5,053 acres

• Location: Wyoming

• Type: Natural

16. Seneca Lake

• Depth: 618 feet

• Surface area: 42,800 acres

• Location: New York

• Type: Natural

15. Lake Crescent

• Depth: 624 feet

• Surface area: 5,127 acres

• Location: Washington

• Type: Natural

14. Dworshak Reservoir

• Depth: 650 feet

• Surface area: 17,000 acres

• Location: Idaho

• Type: Man-made

13. Lake Oroville

• Depth: 695 feet

• Surface area: 16,000 acres

• Location: California

• Type: Man-made

12. Lake Huron

• Depth: 750 feet

• Surface area: 14.7 million acres

• Location: Michigan

• Type: Natural

11. Katmai Crater Lake

• Depth: 800 feet

• Surface area: 3,840 acres

• Location: Alaska

• Type: Natural

10. Lake Ontario

• Depth: 802 feet

• Surface area: 4.7 million acres

• Location: New York

• Type: Natural

9. Lake Michigan

• Depth: 923 feet

• Surface area: 14.3 million acres

• Location: Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, and Wisconsin

• Type: Natural

8. Tustumena Lake

• Depth: 950 feet

• Surface area: 60,000 acres

• Location: Alaska

• Type: Natural

7. Iliamna Lake

• Depth: 933 feet

• Surface area: 648,000 acres

• Location: Alaska

• Type: Natural

6. Lake Clark

• Depth: 1,056 feet

• Surface area: 128,000 acres

• Location: Alaska

• Type: Natural

5. Lake Pend Oreille

• Depth: 1,150 feet

• Surface area: 94,720 acres

• Location: Idaho

• Type: Natural

4. Lake Superior

• Depth: 1,332 feet

• Surface area: 20.3 million acres

• Location: Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota

• Type: Natural

3. Lake Chelan

• Depth: 1,486 feet

• Surface area: 33,340 acres

• Location: Washington

• Type: Natural

2. Lake Tahoe

• Depth: 1,645 feet

• Surface area: acres

• Location: California and Nevada

• Type: Natural

1. Crater Lake

• Depth: 1,949 feet

• Surface area: 13,760 acres

• Location: Oregon

• Type: Natural