Highest elevation lakes & reservoirs in US Southwest Region by altitude
While lake levels can flucuate frequently based on several circumstances, the altitude/elevation of a lake is based on its normal water level, measured by the lake’s surface distance above sea level. For a reservoir, this water level is also known as “full pond” or “full pool”.Low lake levels can occur due to deliberate seasonal draw downs for irrigation or impending snow melt, reduced water inflows, drought and evaporation, residential or commercial water demands, and hydropower generation. Some lakes’ minimum and maximum elevations are virtually the same. Lakes that generate hydropower may vary by several feet – according to power demand. Lakes whose primary purpose is to prevent flooding can seasonally vary by 100 feet or more. When some lakes reach their minimum elevation, their boat ramps may not be long enough to permit boat access – and boats docked on shallow parts of the lake may end up on dry ground. In those cases, kayakers and shore-based anglers may be among the few happy recreational users of the lake.
A lake’s highest water level, measured by the lake’s surface distance above sea level, that can occur during flooding. A lake’s highest possible maximum elevation is usually the top of the lake’s dam or spillway. At lakes that include residential development, government regulations usually forbid the construction of homes below a lake’s maximum elevation.
You can find many of the world’s highest-elevated lakes on LakeLubbers. Lakes with the lowest elevations (known by LakeLubbers) are shown on the final page of that list. Note: For some lakes, "Altitude/Elevation" data is unknown, so this table may display fewer lakes than the total 149 articles we have published for US Southwest Region lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Southwest Region > Compared by highest altitude/elevation in feet. This list does not represent all lakes in US Southwest Region, only the 149 US Southwest Region lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Elevation in feet | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Medina Lake, TX (Hill Country Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,084 ft | Also known as Lake Medina Located in Texas Hill Country, Medina Lake is 40 miles northwest of San Antonio in Bandera and Medina Counties. Controlled by the Bexar-Medina-Atascos … |
Lake Thunderbird, OK (Frontier Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,049 ft | Also known as Thunderbird Reservoir, Thunderbird Lake No place could be better suited to recreation than Oklahoma’s Lake Thunderbird. Located in the Frontier Country Region, Lake Thunderbird provides recr … |
Kaw Lake, KS/OK (Kansas, Oklahoma, Red Carpet Country, OK, South Central Kansas, US Midwest Region, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,044 ft | Also known as Kaw Reservoir Kaw Lake is a large lake covering an area of 17,000 acres. Its three fingerlike “arms” lie in two midwestern states, Oklahoma and Kansas. Kaw Lake is … |
Lake Buchanan, TX (Hill Country Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
1,021 ft | Also known as "Big Buc" Lake Buchanan, the oldest and northernmost of the Highland Lakes, is known as “Big Buc” to the locals and anglers who regularly visit the area. It is … |
Waurika Lake, OK (Great Plains Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
963 ft | Also known as Waurika Reservoir, Lake Waurika Located on Beaver Creek, a tributary of the Red River, Waurika Lake was created to provide flood damage reduction, irrigation, water supply, water qua … |
Canyon Lake, TX (Hill Country Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
950 ft | Canyon Lake, with a maximum depth of 125 feet, is one of the deepest and most scenic lakes in Texas. Canyon Lake, formerly known as Canyon Reservoir, … |
Inks Lake, TX (Hill Country Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
903 ft | Inks Lake is located about an hour northwest of Austin in the picturesque Texas Hill Country. Measuring just 4.2 miles long and 3000 feet at its wides … |
Arbuckle Lake, OK (Arbuckle Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
885 ft | Also known as Lake of the Arbuckles, Lake Arbuckles, Lake Arbuckle, Arbuckle Reservoir Oklahoma’s Chickasaw National Recreation Area draws over three and a half million visitors a year and their main attraction is Lake of the Arbuckles. … |
Lake Lyndon B. Johnson, TX (Hill Country Region, TX, Texas, US Southwest Region, USA) |
836 ft | Also known as Lake LBJ Lake Lyndon B. Johnson, also called Lake LBJ, is a 6,449 acre lake located in Llano and Burnet counties of the Texas Hill Country. The third of seven … |
Heyburn Lake, OK (Green Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
784 ft | In the Green Country of northeastern Oklahoma, Heyburn Lake lies in a setting of gently sloping hills with a thickly wooded area that celebrates each … |
Birch Lake, OK (Green Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
774 ft | Also known as Birch Reservoir, Lake Birch Birch Lake is nestled into northeast Oklahoma’s Green Country. Fall and spring turn the prairie grasses and hardwood tree leaves around the lake into … |
Hulah Lake, OK (Green Country, OK, Oklahoma, US Southwest Region, USA) |
765 ft | Nestled in emerald hills, Hulah Lake and its surrounding lands are an outdoor enthusiast’s dream location. Located in Osage County, in northeastern Ok … |