Lakes / Iowa / Appanoose County / Rathbun Lake
Rathbun Lake, Iowa
13,869 acres
Surface Area
Where It Sits, and How Deep It Goes
Locator - Iowa
40.87 degrees N, 93.01 degrees W - Appanoose 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 Rathbun Lake Stacks Up
- The largest lake counted in Iowa by surface area - 13,869 acres.
- The largest lake in Appanoose County among those counted.
- About 59 miles from Des Moines, as the crow flies.
Lakes Nearby
| Lake | County | Distance | Surface Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower City Reservoir | Appanoose | 12 mi | 29 acres |
| Upper City Reservoir | Appanoose | 12 mi | 110 acres |
| Lake Morris | Lucas | 16 mi | 129 acres |
| Red Haw Lake | Lucas | 16 mi | 79 acres |
| Lake Ellis | Lucas | 16 mi | 77 acres |
| Corydon Lake | Wayne | 19 mi | 41 acres |
Straight-line distance between lake centers.
Facts and Figures
Questions About Rathbun Lake
How Big Is Rathbun Lake?
Rathbun Lake covers 13,869 acres in Appanoose County, Iowa.
What Is the Largest Lake in Appanoose County?
Rathbun Lake is the largest lake in Appanoose County, at 13,869 acres.
Largest Lakes in Iowa
| # | Lake | County | Surface Area | Max Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rathbun Lake | Appanoose | 13,869 acres | - |
| 2 | Lake Red Rock | Marion | 8,619 acres | - |
| 3 | Spirit Lake | Dickinson | 5,463 acres | - |
| 4 | Saylorville Lake | Polk | 5,428 acres | - |
| 5 | Clear Lake | Cerro Gordo | 3,632 acres | - |
All 220 Iowa lakes ranked by surface area
Sources: USGS NHD (The National Map NHD MapServer layer 12) named waterbodies FTYPE 390/436; counties via Census point-in-polygon lake data (ID 147257245). Verified October 30, 2026.