Top 10 Deepest Lakes in the United States

Ranked by maximum depth:

1. Crater Lake, OR – 1,943 ft (592 m) – Volcanic caldera; clearest water (Secchi 40 m); no inlets/outlets.
2. Lake Tahoe, CA/NV – 1,645 ft (501 m) – Tectonic; alpine; 2nd deepest in US.
3. Lake Chelan, WA – 1,486 ft (453 m) – Glacially carved; fjord-like; hydroelectric.
4. Lake Pend Oreille, ID – 1,158 ft (353 m) – Glacial; Navy acoustic testing; kokanee fishery.
5. Lake Roosevelt, WA – 1,100 ft (335 m) – Reservoir (Grand Coulee Dam); 150 mi long.
6. Flathead Lake, MT – 978 ft (298 m) – Largest natural freshwater lake west of Mississippi; clean.
7. Lake Powell, UT/AZ – 970 ft (296 m) – Reservoir (Glen Canyon Dam); 96 side canyons.
8. San Cristobal Lake, CO – 950 ft (290 m) – Natural landslide-dammed; remote, pristine.
9. Lake Clark, AK – 880 ft (268 m) – Glacial, in Lake Clark NP; sockeye salmon.
10. Kenai Lake, AK – 860 ft (262 m) – Glacial, turquoise; Kenai River source.

Note: Great Slave Lake (Canada) is deeper (2,015 ft) but not US. Crater Lake is 9th deepest globally. Depths vary seasonally (reservoirs especially).