A large northern lake bordered by the only major sand dunes this far north.
Surface area
7,935 km²
Maximum depth
about 124 m
Elevation
213 m
Continent
North America
Countries
Canada
Did you know?
The Athabasca Sand Dunes on its southern shore are the largest active dunes in the world at such a high latitude.
Little-known fact
The lake gives its name to the vast Athabasca oil sands that lie upstream to the south.
Highlights
- A great northern lake
- Bordered by Arctic sand dunes
- Namesake of the oil sands
Life in the Lake Athabasca
The fish and animals, waterbirds and water plants — including some of the rarest — that this water supports.
Animals & fish
Northern pike
A long, torpedo-shaped ambush predator that lurks among weeds across the cool rivers and lakes of the north.
North American beaver
Nature’s engineer: its dams create wetlands that reshape whole river valleys.
Waterbirds
Mallard
The familiar green-headed dabbling duck — ancestor of most domestic ducks — found on waters worldwide.
Interactive · 3D dive
How deep does a lake go?
A lake is layered from the sunlit, weed-filled shallows down to a cold, dark bed. Tap a zone to dive the submersible through the water column — and meet the life that belongs at each depth.
Tip: hover the column to tilt it · tap a layer to dive
Littoral Zone
The warm, bright band close to shore where sunlight reaches the bottom. Reeds, water lilies and rooted plants grow thickly here, making it the busiest, most crowded part of the whole lake.
Who lives here