Lakes / California / Imperial County / Salton Sea
Salton Sea, California
233,096 acres
Surface Area
Where It Sits, and How Deep It Goes
Locator - California
33.31 degrees N, 115.82 degrees W - Imperial 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 Salton Sea Stacks Up
- The largest lake counted in California by surface area - 233,096 acres.
- The largest lake in Imperial County among those counted.
- About 88 miles from San Diego, as the crow flies.
Lakes Nearby
| Lake | County | Distance | Surface Area |
|---|---|---|---|
| Halfhill Lake | San Diego | 23 mi | 91 acres |
| Ramer Lake | Imperial | 24 mi | 176 acres |
| Ramer Lake | Imperial | 24 mi | 83 acres |
| Finney Lake | Imperial | 25 mi | 117 acres |
| Finney Lake | Imperial | 26 mi | 33 acres |
| Wiest Lake | Imperial | 27 mi | 49 acres |
Straight-line distance between lake centers.
Facts and Figures
Questions About Salton Sea
How Big Is Salton Sea?
Salton Sea covers 233,096 acres in Imperial County, California.
What Is the Largest Lake in Imperial County?
Salton Sea is the largest lake in Imperial County, at 233,096 acres.
Largest Lakes in California
| # | Lake | County | Surface Area | Max Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Salton Sea | Imperial | 233,096 acres | - |
| 2 | Lake Tahoe | Placer | 122,975 acres | - |
| 3 | Goose Lake | Modoc | 93,048 acres | - |
| 4 | Honey Lake | Lassen | 59,917 acres | - |
| 5 | Mono Lake | Mono | 45,124 acres | - |
All 1,147 California 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 37703983). Verified October 30, 2026.