BC
AB
SK
MB
ON
QC
NB
PE
NS
NL
YT
NT
NU
Canadian Provinces and Territories
Peyto Lake from lookout
Lake Agnes
Amethyst Lakes & ramparts
Barrier Lake
Bow Lake
Cold Lake
Fish Lakes (1 of 2)
Glacier Lake
Glenmore Reservoir
Upper and Lower Kananaskis Lakes
Lesser Slave Lake
Lake Louise
Maligne Lake
Lake Minnewanka
Moose Lake
Ice fishing on Pigeon Lake
Vermilion Lakes
Waterton Lake

This is a list of lakes of Alberta, Canada.

Most of Alberta's lakes were formed during the last glaciation, about 12,000 years ago. There are many different types of lakes in Alberta, from glacial lakes in the Canadian Rockies to small shallow lakes in the prairies, brown water lakes in the northern boreal forest and muskeg, kettle holes and large lakes with sandy beaches and clear water in the central plains.

Distribution of the lakes throughout the province of Alberta is irregular, with many water bodies in the wet boreal plains in the north, and very few in the semi-arid Palliser's Triangle in the southeast.[1]

River basins

Most of Alberta's waters are drained in a general north or northeastern direction, with six major rivers forming four major watersheds collecting the water and removing it from the province:[2]

As with other basins on the planet, the topographical highlights in the drainage divides between these basins can be difficult to discern. For example, there is little elevation change in the short 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) of land between Lac la Biche and Beaver Lake, yet the former is in a watershed that drains north into the Arctic Ocean, while the latter is in a watershed that drains east into Hudson Bay.

Largest lakes

Lake Athabasca is the largest lake in both Alberta and Saskatchewan. This 7,850 km2 (3,030 sq mi) lake has 2,295 km2 (886 sq mi) of its surface area in Alberta and 5,555 km2 (2,145 sq mi) in Saskatchewan.

The largest lake completely within Alberta is Lake Claire, at 1,436 km2 (554 sq mi). Lake Claire is just west of Lake Athabasca, with both located in the remote Peace-Athabasca Delta.

This section provides a list of lakes of Alberta with an area larger than 100 km2 (39 sq mi).[1][4][5]

Alberta lakes larger than 100 km2 (39 sq mi)
Lake Area (including islands) Elevation Depth max. Volume
Lake Athabasca[4] 7,850 km2 (3,030 sq mi) 213 m (699 ft) 124 m (407 ft) 204 km3 (49 cu mi)
Lake Claire[4] 1,436 km2 (554 sq mi) 213 m (699 ft)
Lesser Slave Lake[6][4] 1,160 km2 (450 sq mi) 578 m (1,896 ft) 20.5 m (67 ft) 13.69 km3 (3.28 cu mi)
Bistcho Lake 426 km2 (164 sq mi) 552 m (1,811 ft) 6.7 m (22 ft)
Cold Lake 373 km2 (144 sq mi) 535 m (1,755 ft) 99.1 m (325 ft)
Utikuma Lake 288 km2 (111 sq mi) 641 m (2,103 ft) 5.5 m (18 ft)
Lac la Biche 234 km2 (90 sq mi) 544 m (1,785 ft) 21.3 m (70 ft)
Beaverhill Lake 139 km2 (54 sq mi) 668 m (2,192 ft) 2.3 m (7.5 ft)
Calling Lake 138 km2 (53 sq mi) 529 m (1,736 ft) 18.3 m (60 ft)
Pakowki Lake 123 km2 (47 sq mi) 860 m (2,820 ft)
Winefred Lake 123 km2 (47 sq mi) 594 m (1,949 ft) 15.3 m (50 ft)

List of lakes

This section provides a list of numerous lakes of Alberta, including the "large" ones shown in the previous section.

Note that the lakes are listed alphabetically by their main name, dropping any leading "lake", "lac", "lac la", "upper/lower", "north/south". For example, Lac la Nonne (the nun lake) is entered under "N". If desired, using the table sort function will give the list sorted by the leading word.

Lake   Watershed   Basin   Area (km²)   Remarks  
Abraham Lake North Saskatchewan River Hudson Bay 53.7 man-made reservoir
Adolphus Lake Smoky River Arctic Ocean 0.18 a contributing headwater mountain glacial lake
Lake Agnes Bow River Hudson Bay 0.52 a contributing headwater mountain glacial lake
Amisk Lake Beaver River Hudson Bay 5.3  
Angle Lake North Saskatchewan River Hudson Bay  
Lake Annette Athabasca River Arctic Ocean a contributing headwater mountain glacial lake
Lake Athabasca Slave River Arctic Ocean 7,850 two thirds in Saskatchewan
Baptiste Lake Athabasca River Arctic Ocean 9.8  
Barreyre Lake • • • •
Barrier Lake Kananaskis River Hudson Bay 2.6 man-made reservoir
Battle Lake Battle River Hudson Bay 4.6  
Baxter Lakes • • • •
Bearhills Lake Battle River Hudson Bay
Beauvais Lake Oldman River Hudson Bay 0.9  
Beauvert Lake Athabasca River Arctic Ocean 0.4  
Beaver Lake Beaver River Hudson Bay 33.1  
Beaverhill Lake North Saskatchewan River Hudson Bay 139 Beaverhill Natural Area is part of Western Hemisphere Shorebird Reserve Network.
Lac la Biche Beaver River Hudson Bay 236  
Big Lake Sturgeon River Hudson Bay 21.4  
Bistcho Lake Petitot River Arctic Ocean 426  
Bonnie Lake North Saskatchewan River Hudson Bay 3.77  
Bourgeau Lake        
Bow Lake Bow River Hudson Bay 3.21 a contributing headwater mountain glacial lake
Brander Lake • • • •
Brokenleg Lake • • • •
Buck Lake North Saskatchewan River Hudson Bay 25.4  
Brûlé Lake Athabasca River Arctic Ocean 14.5 lake is formed along the Athabasca River
Buffalo Lake Red Deer River Hudson Bay 93.5  
Calling Lake Athabasca River Arctic Ocean 134  
Cardinal Lake Peace River Arctic Ocean 50  
Chester Lake Spray River Hudson Bay 0.51 a contributing headwater mountain glacial lake
Chestermere Lake Bow River Hudson Bay 2.7 man-made reservoir
Chip Lake Lobstick River Arctic Ocean 73
Christina Lake Athabasca River Arctic Ocean 21.3  
Lake Claire Peace River Arctic Ocean 1,436 largest lake completely in Alberta
Coal Lake Battle River Hudson Bay 10.9 ribbon lake
Cold Lake Beaver River Hudson Bay 373 partly in Saskatchewan
Crawling Valley Reservoir South Saskatchewan River Hudson Bay 25.1 man-made reservoir
Dowling Lake • • • •
Driedmeat Lake Battle River Hudson Bay 16.5 ribbon lake
Elbow Lake Elbow River Hudson Bay 0.53  
Elkwater Lake South Saskatchewan River Hudson Bay 2.31  
Ethel Lake Cold River Hudson Bay  
Ewing Lake • • • •
Formby Lake • • • •
Frank Lake South Saskatchewan River Hudson Bay 43.74  
Gadsby Lake • • • •
Ghost Lake Bow River Hudson Bay 11.6 man-made reservoir
Glacier Lake North Saskatchewan River Hudson Bay 2.5 a contributing headwater mountain glacial lake
Gleniffer Lake Red Deer River Hudson Bay 17.6 man-made reservoir
Glenmore Reservoir Elbow River Hudson Bay 3.8 man-made reservoir
Gull Lake Red Deer River Hudson Bay 80.6  
Headwall Lakes Kananaskis River Hudson Bay 0.66 contributing headwater mountain glacial lakes (0.45+0.21 km²)
Hector Lake Bow River Hudson Bay 5.23 a contributing headwater mountain glacial lake
Hidden Lake Bow River Hudson Bay 0.4 a contributing headwater mountain glacial lake
Hoselaw Lake North Saskatchewan River Hudson Bay 0.4
Hutch Lake • • • •
Ipiatik Lake • • • •
Isle Lake North Saskatchewan River Hudson Bay 23 known locally as Lake Isle
Jessie Lake Beaver River Hudson Bay 5.5  
Kinikinik Lake Peace River Arctic Ocean  
Lower Kananaskis Lake Kananaskis River Hudson Bay 6.0 original lake expanded as man-made reservoir
Upper Kananaskis Lake Kananaskis River Hudson Bay 8.4 original lake expanded as man-made reservoir
Lessard Lake • • 3.21 •
Lesser Slave Lake Lesser Slave River Arctic Ocean 1,160 second largest lake completely in Alberta
Lake Louise Bow River Hudson Bay 0.8 a contributing headwater mountain glacial lake
Maligne Lake Athabasca River Arctic Ocean 19.7 a contributing headwater mountain glacial lake
Lower Mann Lake Beaver River closed basin 5.10
Upper Mann Lake Beaver River closed basin 4.59
McGregor Lake Bow River Hudson Bay 51.4 reservoir
Medicine Lake Athabasca River Arctic Ocean 3.7  
Milk Reservoir Milk River Gulf of Mexico 14 man-made reservoir
Lake Minnewanka Bow River Hudson Bay 21.5 a contributing headwater mountain glacial lake enlarged by dam
Moose Lake Beaver River Hudson Bay 40.8  
Moraine Lake Bow River Hudson Bay 0.5 a contributing headwater mountain glacial lake
Muriel Lake Beaver River closed basin 64.1  
Musreau Lake Kakwa River Hudson Bay 5.49  
Nakamun Lake Toad Creek Hudson Bay 3.54  
Lake Newell Bow River Hudson Bay 66.4 man-made reservoir
Lac la Nonne Pembina River Arctic Ocean 12.28  
Pakowki Lake Milk River Gulf of Mexico 123.7 largest lake in Southern Alberta
Peerless Lake Peace River Arctic Ocean 82.6  
Peyto Lake Mistaya River Hudson Bay 1.4 a contributing headwater mountain glacial lake
Pigeon Lake Battle River Hudson Bay 96.7  
Pinehurst Lake Sand River Hudson Bay 40.7  
Primrose Lake Beaver River Hudson Bay 17.7 Most of the lake's surface area 444 km2 (171 sq mi) is located in Saskatchewan.
Pyramid Lake Athabasca River Arctic Ocean 1.2  
Rattlesnake Lake South Saskatchewan River Hudson Bay 10.7  
Red Deer Lake Battle River Hudson Bay 21  
Lac Sante Hudson Bay
Saskatoon Lake Peace River Arctic Ocean 7.47  
Sikome Lake Bow River Hudson Bay 0.4 man-made recreation lake in Calgary
Skeleton Lake Beaver River Hudson Bay 7.89  
Spray Lakes Bow River Hudson Bay 19.9 man-made reservoir that was previously a string of lakes
Lac Ste. Anne North Saskatchewan River Hudson Bay 54.5  
Sauer Lake • • • •
Steele Lake Athabasca River Arctic Ocean 6.61 formerly named Cross Lake because of its shape
Sturgeon Lake Smoky River Arctic Ocean 49.1  
Sylvan Lake Red Deer River Hudson Bay 42.8  
Telford Lake North Saskatchewan River Hudson Bay 13
Thunder Lake Athabasca River Arctic Ocean 7.03  
Touchwood Lake Beaver River Hudson Bay 29  
Tucker Lake • • 6.65 •
Twin Lake • • 24ha •
Utikuma Lake Peace River Arctic Ocean 295  
Vermilion Lakes Bow River Hudson Bay 0.48 a string of three lakes along the Bow River
Wabamun Lake North Saskatchewan River Hudson Bay 81.8  
North Wabasca Lake Wabasca River Arctic Ocean 101.4[7]
South Wabasca Lake Wabasca River Arctic Ocean 61.6
Waterton Lake Oldman River Hudson Bay 11.6 partly in Montana
Willow Lake Athabasca River Arctic Ocean 25.8  
Winagami Lake Athabasca River Arctic Ocean 46.7  
Winefred Lake Clearwater River Arctic Ocean 122.8  
Wizard Lake North Saskatchewan River Hudson Bay 2.48  
Wolf Lake Beaver River Hudson Bay 31.5  
Zama Lake Hay River Arctic Ocean 55.5  
This list is incomplete; you can help by adding missing items. (August 2008)

See also

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Lakes of Alberta.
  1. ^ a b Crosby, J.M.; Bradford, M.E.; Mitchell, P.A.; Prepas, E.E.; McIntyre, L.G.; Buckland-Nicks, L. Hart; Hanson, J.M. (1990). Atlas of Alberta Lakes. Edmonton: The University of Alberta Press. ISBN 0-88864-214-8. Retrieved 2018-08-07.
  2. ^ Alberta Environment Archived 2016-04-09 at the Wayback Machine - Alberta's River Basins
  3. ^ Couture, P.; Pyle, G. (2015). Biology of Perch. CRC Press. p. 87. ISBN 978-1-4987-3033-4. Retrieved 2020-12-18.
  4. ^ a b c d "Principal lakes, elevation and area, by province and territory". Statistics Canada. 2005-02-02. Archived from the original on 2012-09-19. Retrieved 2015-03-11.
  5. ^ "World Lake Database (Lakes in Canada)". Archived from the original on 2016-03-14. Retrieved 2015-02-21.
  6. ^ International Lake Environment Committee. "Lesser Slave Lake". Archived from the original on 2007-07-13. Retrieved 2007-05-01.
  7. ^ ""Wabasca Lake Monitoring Project 2016 Factsheet"" (PDF).
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