What Is the Deepest Lake in the U.S.?

Crater Lake takes the top (er, bottom?) spot as deepest lake in the United States, but there are quite a few other contenders.

No. 2: Lake Tahoe

Lake Tahoe, which straddles the California and Nevada border, is the second-deepest lake in the United States. At 1,645 feet (501 meters) deep, it boasts a similar profile to Crater Lake in terms of spectacular scenery and pristine open space, although it is far more accessible to the average tourist.

No. 3: Lake Chelan

At 1,486 feet deep (453 meters), Lake Chelan, in Washington State, takes its name from a word in the Salish language that means “deep water.”

In addition to being one of the deepest lakes in the country, it is also closer than Crater Lake to civilization; as a result, there is a wide range of different recreation options available, such as fishing for rainbow trout and other species.

No. 4: Lake Superior

Lake Superior, borders the states of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, as well as the Canadian province of Ontario). In addition to being among the deepest in the country, it’s also enormous across its surface.

In fact, Lake Superior is the largest lake in the world terms of surface area, and it contains 10 percent of the world’s surface freshwater. At 1,333 feet (406 meters), it’s plenty deep too.

No. 5: Lake Pend Oreille

Located in mountainous Idaho, Lake Pend Oreille is 1,152 feet (351 meters) deep. Formed by glaciers during the last ice age, Lake Pend Oreille is a major tourist attraction, as well as home to a wide variety of birds, mammals and fish.

No. 6: Lake Clark

For the next body of water on this list, we have to travel out of the lower 48 and into the great northern state Alaska, all the way to Lake Clark. It is 1,056 feet (322 meters) deep, and like Crater Lake, it is the centerpiece of its very own national park, which includes over 4 million acres of natural beauty.