Top lakes
LakeIliamna Lake
LakeSelawik Lake
LakeSkilak Lake
LakeNaknek Lake
LakeKenai Lake
LakeBecharof Lake
LakeLake Clark
LakeBear Lake
LakeLake Aleknagik
LakeTazlina Lake
LakePortage Lake
LakeWonder Lake
Lakes by county
All lakes (36)
| Name | County | Elevation | Nearest town | Sky |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Iliamna Lake | Lake and Peninsula Borough | — | Homer | 1 |
| Selawik Lake | Northwest Arctic Borough | 1 m | 1 | |
| Skilak Lake | Kenai Peninsula Borough | 59 m | Funny River | 2 |
| Naknek Lake | Lake and Peninsula Borough | 10 m | Kodiak | 1 |
| Kenai Lake | Kenai Peninsula Borough | — | Bear Creek | 1 |
| Becharof Lake | Lake and Peninsula Borough | — | Kodiak | 1 |
| Lake Clark | Lake and Peninsula Borough | — | Kalifornsky | 1 |
| Bear Lake | Kenai Peninsula Borough | 146 m | Bear Creek | 2 |
| Lake Aleknagik | Dillingham Census Area | 11 m | Dillingham | 1 |
| Tazlina Lake | Copper River Census Area | 544 m | Palmer | 1 |
| Portage Lake | Anchorage Municipality | 36 m | Girdwood | 2 |
| Wonder LakeDenali | Denali Borough | 605 m | College | 1 |
| Byers Lake | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | 231 m | Meadow Lakes | 1 |
| Togiak Lake | Dillingham Census Area | 67 m | Bethel | 1 |
| Quartz Lake | Southeast Fairbanks Census Area | 293 m | Deltana | 1 |
| Sixmile Lake | Lake and Peninsula Borough | 77 m | Homer | 1 |
| Goose Lake | Anchorage Municipality | 43 m | Anchorage | 7 |
| Imuruk Lake | Northwest Arctic Borough | 311 m | 1 | |
| Salmon Lake | Nome Census Area | 137 m | Nome | 1 |
| Galbraith Lake | North Slope Borough | 799 m | 1 | |
| Grouse Lake | Kenai Peninsula Borough | 95 m | Bear Creek | 2 |
| Toolik Lake | North Slope Borough | 719 m | 1 | |
| Wasilla Lake | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | 99 m | Wasilla | 5 |
| Mendenhall Lake | Juneau City and Borough | 15 m | Juneau | 3 |
| Imuruk Basin | Nome Census Area | 1 m | 1 | |
| Harding Lake | Fairbanks North Star Borough | 218 m | Salcha | 1 |
| Hidden Lake | Kenai Peninsula Borough | 86 m | Funny River | 2 |
| Karluk Lake | Kodiak Island Borough | 112 m | Kodiak | 1 |
| Tustumena Lake | Kenai Peninsula Borough | — | Cohoe | 2 |
| Walker Lake | Yukon-Koyukuk Census Area | — | 1 | |
| Auke Lake | Juneau City and Borough | 8 m | Juneau | 3 |
| Swan LakeSitka | Sitka City and Borough | 17 m | Sitka | 5 |
| Aropuk Lake | Bethel Census Area | 1 m | Bethel | 1 |
| Teshekpuk Lake | North Slope Borough | — | 1 | |
| Andrew Lake | Aleutians West Census Area | — | 1 | |
| Lake Lucille | Matanuska-Susitna Borough | — | Wasilla | 5 |
Sky = estimated Bortle class (1 darkest – 9 brightest).
Map
How to photograph lakes
Lakes reflect best in calm air — usually the first hour after sunrise, before breezes ripple the surface.
- For mirror reflections, get low and close to the water; the reflection grows with a lower camera.
- A polarizer can remove reflections to show the lakebed — or keep them, depending on rotation.
- Mist often lifts off lakes on cold mornings after warm days, especially in autumn.
- Include shoreline rocks, reeds or a log as foreground to give the reflection depth.
- Expose for the brighter sky; reflections are typically half a stop to a stop darker.
Season: Autumn mornings bring mist and fall color; high-elevation lakes are usually ice-free only from early summer to mid-autumn.