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

Crater Lake in Oregon doesn't even reach half the depth of Lake Baikal, the deepest lake in the world. JeffGoulden / Getty Images

The United States has some impressive lakes, including some of the biggest bodies of freshwater in the world. If you're looking at a map, however, you can't necessarily determine how deep any of these lakes are. So if it's depth you seek, read on to learn about the deepest lake in the U.S., as well as several of the runners-up.

Crater Lake: Deepest in the United States

Located in the Pacific Northwest, Crater Lake is the centerpiece attraction of the Crater Lake National Park in southern Oregon, about an hour's drive from Klamath Falls. With a maximum depth of 1,949 feet (594 meters), it easily claims the top spot on the list of the deepest lakes in the United States.

But depth isn't all that Crater Lake can boast; it has several surprising features that make it worth visiting, or at the very least, knowing about.

Crater Lake is in a caldera, which means that it was formed from a volcanic eruption. The caldera was leftover from an enormous blast of Mount Mazama around 7,700 years ago, after which it was gradually filled by rain and snowmelt.
Crater Lake isn't fed or drained by any rivers or springs, so it relies entirely upon rain and snow to remain full. The cycle of evaporation and replenishment takes about 250 years.
The local Klamath tribe considers the lake to be a sacred site, as it features prominently in their mythology (including the cataclysmic eruption that led to its formation).
Crater Lake National Park features plenty of recreational activities, although the National Park Service runs the only boat service. The dock is located at the end of the Cleetwood Cove Trail, which is a long and somewhat arduous path through the wilderness.

5 Other Deep Lakes 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.

How Does Crater Lake Compare to the Deepest Lakes Worldwide?

Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the U.S., but how about the rest of the world? While often named the seventh-deepest lake in the world, the truth is that Crater Lake is actually the ninth deepest lake (or the 10th — more on that below). This ambiguity over rankings has to do with classifications and recent measurements.

Lake Vostok: Being located in Antarctica is already something of a challenge, when it comes to precise measurements and tourism. But Lake Vostok is also a subglacial lake, which means it exists beneath a massive glacier, under 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) of ice! If we count this very deep, very cold lake, it would be No. 6 on the list of worldwide rankings, reaching down 2,950 feet (899 meters).
O'Higgins/San Martín Lake: This South American lake lies on the border of Chile and Argentina, and reaches a maximum depth of 2,743 feet (836 meters). Recent measurements have revealed that this lake's depth is greater than previously known.
Caspian Sea: There's some ambiguity here, and it has to do with the status of the Caspian Sea. Technically an endorheic basin, it is commonly referred to as either a sea or a lake. If we consider it a lake, it's the world's largest, and also the third-deepest, at 3,363 feet (1,025 meters).

What Is the Deepest Lake in the World?

This honor goes to Lake Baikal, in Siberia, Russia. At 5,387 feet (1,642 meters), it is exceptionally deep (nearly three times the depth of Crater Lake) and the world's largest freshwater lake by volume, containing 22 to 23 percent of the world's fresh water.