Alaska has about 3,197 officially named natural lakes,[C][1][B] out of over 3,000,000 unnamed natural lakes,[2] approximately 67 named artificial reservoirs,[C][3] and 167 named dams.[C][4] For named artificial reservoirs and dams, see the List of dams and reservoirs in Alaska. Swimming, fishing, and/or boating are permitted in some of these lakes, but not all.
List
See also
Notes
^ A: Note: Where a USGS GNIS Feature ID # is included:
- "Official" USGS GNIS dam, lake or reservoir name,
- Feature Class: Dam, Lake or Reservoir,
- Geographic coordinates,
- approximate Elevation, and
- Borough or Census Area
came from the United States Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System database.
^ B: Additional United States Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System[7] references are included: Click on a particular row's GNIS Feature ID # in the included table's column above.
^ C: Borough or Census area reference total counts and queries:
| # Dams and GNIS query Link |
# Lakes and GNIS query Link |
# Reservoirs and GNIS query Link |
Borough or Census area |
Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 27 | 0 | Aleutians East | Lakes in table; Reservoirs Done |
| 15 | 134 | 0 | Aleutians West | Lakes ?; Reservoirs Done |
| 8 | 58 | 6 | Anchorage | Lakes and Reservoirs in table. |
| 0 | 81 | 0 | Bethel | Lakes ?; Reservoirs Done |
| 0 | 0 | 0 | Bristol Bay | Lakes and Reservoirs Done |
| 0 | 50 | 0 | Denali | Lakes in table; Reservoirs Done |
| 0 | 55 | 0 | Dillingham | Lakes ?; Reservoirs Done |
| 3 | 19 | 1 | Fairbanks North Star | Lakes and Reservoirs in table. |
| 3 | 10 | 0 | Haines | Lakes in table; Reservoirs Done. |
| 6 | 55 | 3 | Hoonah-Angoon | Lakes and Reservoirs in table. |
| 8 | 31 | 5 | Juneau | Lakes and Reservoirs in table. |
| 10 | 440 | 4 | Kenai Peninsula | Lakes ?; Reservoirs in table. |
| 12 | 57 | 8 | Ketchikan Gateway | Lakes ?; Reservoirs in table. |
| 31 | 82 | 11 | Kodiak Island | Lakes ?; Reservoirs in table. |
| 3 | 83 | 0 | Lake and Peninsula | Lakes ?; Reservoirs Done |
| 5 | 451 | 1 | Matanuska-Susitna | Lakes ?; Reservoirs in table. |
| 1 | 36 | 0 | Nome | Lakes in table; Reservoirs Done |
| 2 | 142 | 2 | North Slope | Lakes ?; Reservoirs in table. |
| 1 | 80 | 1 | Northwest Arctic | Lakes ?; Reservoirs in table. |
| 9 | 163 | 4 | P. of Wales-O. Ketchikan | Lakes ?; Reservoirs in table. |
| 9 | 90 | 3 | Sitka | Lakes ?; Reservoirs in table. |
| 3 | 9 | 3 | Skagway | Lakes and Reservoirs in table. |
| 0 | 130 | 0 | Southeast Fairbanks | Lakes ?; Reservoirs in table. |
| 22 | 293 | 10 | Valdez-Cordova | Lakes ?; Reservoirs in table. |
| 1 | 21 | 0 | Kusilvak | Lakes in table; Reservoirs Done |
| 8 | 60 | 5 | Wrangell-Petersburg | Lakes ?; Reservoirs in table. |
| 0 | 26 | 0 | Yakutat | Lakes in table; Reservoirs Done |
| 2 | 513 | 0 | Yukon-Koyukuk | Lakes ?; Reservoirs Done |
| 167 | 3197 | 67 | TOTALS | |
^ D: Mat-Su Drainage basin maps available. Matanuska-Susitna Borough major lakes:[8]
- Big Lake
- Cottonwood Lake
- Horseshoe Lake
- Nancy Lake
- Red Shirt Lake
Gallery
The Trail Lakes are in the Southern Chugach Mountains
Trumpeter swans on a lake in the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge
Motorized vessels are not permitted on Byers Lake
Lake Louise has several inhabited islands
Kenai Lake forms the headwaters of the Kenai river, famous for its abundance of salmon
Skilak Lake is also part of the Kenai River system
The Tangle Lakes are a popular destination for canoeists
Lakes are important to both recreation and travel in Alaska
Lakes are important spawning areas for a wide variety of fish
References
- ↑ "Lakes in Alaska and in Juneau". U.S. Board on Geographic Names, United States Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.
- ↑ "Alaska Hydrologic Survey". Alaska Department of Natural Resources.
- ↑ "Reservoirs in Alaska". U.S. Board on Geographic Names, United States Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.
- ↑ "Dams in Alaska". U.S. Board on Geographic Names, United States Geological Survey, Department of the Interior.
- 1 2 3 "Profile of the People and Land of the United States-Lakes". National Atlas of the United States of America, United States Department of the Interior. Archived from the original on 2012-09-15.
- ↑ "SF_Lakes". www.adfg.alaska.gov. Alaska Department of Fish & Game. Retrieved 4 December 2020.
- ↑ "USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) query". U.S. Board on Geographic Names, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ↑ "Matanuska-Susitna Lakes' Drainage Basins". Alaska Geospatial Data Clearinghouse, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
General references
- "USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) query". U.S. Board on Geographic Names, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- "Alaska Water Index - Statewide Lakes" (PDF). Water Resources, Alaska Science Center, United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-10-11.
- "Alaska Department of Natural Resources". Alaska Department of Natural Resources.
