New York's Largest Lakes: From Champlain to the Finger Lakes and Adirondacks

New York's lake landscape is a tale of two geologies: the Champlain Valley (rift lake) and the Finger Lakes/Adirondacks (glacial scour). Here are the top 10 by surface area.

Top 10 Lakes in New York

1. Lake Champlain — 435 sq mi (1,127 km²) — *NY/VT/QC border*. Largest by far; 6th largest US freshwater lake.
2. Oneida Lake — 79.8 sq mi — *Central NY, E of Syracuse*. Largest entirely within NY. Shallow, warm, walleye factory.
3. Cayuga Lake — 67.5 sq mi — *Longest Finger Lake* (38 mi). Deep (435 ft), wine country.
4. Seneca Lake — 43 sq mi — *Deepest Finger Lake* (618 ft). Naval testing, lake trout.
5. Keuka Lake — 17.6 sq mi — *Y-shaped Finger Lake*. "Lady of the Lakes."
6. Canandaigua Lake — 16.5 sq mi — *Western Finger Lake*. Rochester's playground.
7. Skaneateles Lake — 15.6 sq mi — *Pristine, oligotrophic*. Syracuse water supply.
8. Raquette Lake — 9.3 sq mi — *Adirondacks*. Complex shape, Great Camps history.
9. Saranac Lake — 8.3 sq mi — *Adirondacks*. Chain of lakes, cure cottages legacy.
10. Otisco Lake — 10 sq mi — *Eastern Finger Lake*. Smallest of the "major" eleven.

Note: Great Lakes (Ontario, Erie) border NY but aren't "in" NY. Reservoirs (Pepacton, Ashokan) are large but artificial.