Harveys Lake, Glacial lake in Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, USA

Harveys Lake is a glacial lake of about 621.5 acres in the borough of Harveys Lake, 12 miles northwest of Wilkes-Barre. It is the largest natural lake in Pennsylvania by volume, with an average depth of 36 feet and a maximum of 102 feet, a gravel bottom and steep hills on all sides. A stone masonry dam 120 feet long and 4 feet high holds it back, and a paved road runs entirely around the shoreline.

Benjamin Harvey came upon the lake by accident in 1781; settlers followed in the 1790s and 1800s, working first in lumbering and farming. From the late 1800s into the 1900s it became a summer resort, and in the early 1900s it also served as a water supply. It has lain within the borough of Harveys Lake since 1968.

Harveys Lake was a summer resort from the late 1800s into the 1900s, drawing visitors to its shore. The lake also supplied water in the early 1900s. Since 1968 it has lain entirely within the borough of Harveys Lake, whose homes and cottages line the paved road around the shore.

A paved road runs the full 8.3-mile shoreline, an unusual arrangement for a lake, with homes and cottages on the landward side. The stone masonry dam, 120 feet long and 4 feet high, has two spillways. The lake lies 12 miles northwest of Wilkes-Barre, and its watershed reaches into Wyoming County.

Harveys Lake is a glacial lake, not a reservoir, and it is the largest natural lake in Pennsylvania by volume: 7.733 billion US gallons, with a maximum depth of 102 feet. Its outflow, Harveys Creek, is a tributary of the Susquehanna River. The lake is held back by a stone masonry dam 120 feet long and 4 feet high, with two spillways.