Lakes / Alabama / Shelby County / Lay Lake
Lay Lake, Alabama
13,367.04 acres
Surface Area
Where It Sits, and How Deep It Goes
Locator - Alabama
33.11 degrees N, 86.49 degrees W - Shelby County. State and county outlines drawn from Census boundary data; the lake marker is placed by its USGS National Hydrography Dataset coordinates, not by eye. Schematic - not a survey map.
How Lay Lake Stacks Up
- Ranks #9 for surface area among the Alabama lakes counted so far - 13,367.04 acres.
- The largest lake in Shelby County among those counted.
- About 34 miles from Birmingham, as the crow flies.
Lakes Nearby
| Lake | County | Distance | Surface Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goodner Lake | Talladega | 6.6 mi | 34.84 acres |
| Caudles Lake | Talladega | 7.2 mi | 68.7 acres |
| Lake Tate | Talladega | 12 mi | 30.39 acres |
| Bounds Lake | Shelby | 15 mi | 72.4 acres |
| Mitchell Lake | Coosa | 17 mi | 5,400.24 acres |
| Deerwood Lake | Shelby | 19 mi | 46.64 acres |
Straight-line distance between lake centers.
Facts and Figures
Questions About Lay Lake
How Big Is Lay Lake?
Lay Lake covers 13,367.04 acres in Shelby County, Alabama.
What Is the Largest Lake in Shelby County?
Lay Lake is the largest lake in Shelby County, at 13,367.04 acres.
Largest Lakes in Alabama
| # | Lake | County | Surface Area | Max Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Guntersville Lake | Jackson | 65,603.24 acres | - |
| 2 | Wheeler Lake | Limestone | 52,372.46 acres | - |
| 3 | Martin Lake | Tallapoosa | 40,186.87 acres | - |
| 4 | Pickwick Lake | Lauderdale | 34,469.69 acres | - |
| 5 | Weiss Lake | Cherokee | 25,519.1 acres | - |
All 371 Alabama lakes ranked by surface area
Sources: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (The National Map) lake data (ID 120024200). Verified October 30, 2026.