Lake Harris

Lake Harris is a lake in Lake County, Florida, about 31 miles northwest of Orlando. It belongs to the Harris Chain of Lakes in the Upper Ocklawaha River Basin, which is part of the St. Johns River watershed. Wikipedia gives 13,788 acres for Lake Harris itself, which makes it the largest lake entirely within Lake County. Little Lake Harris lies east of State Road 19, and the two lakes together exceed 15,000 acres. The Lake County Water Atlas lists 15,672 acres. Leesburg is on the northwestern shore, and Astatula, Tavares and Howey-in-the-Hills are on the eastern arm. The Palatlakaha River is the main inflow, and the Dead River connects the lake to Lake Eustis. The St. Johns River Water Management District adopted an interim lake-level schedule for Lake Harris in 2012. Its Harris Bayou project can pass up to 1,000 cubic feet per second from Lake Harris to Lake Griffin.

The City of Leesburg runs ramps at Venetian Gardens, Ski Beach (part of Venetian Gardens) and Singletary Park. Lake County runs the ramps at Astatula Park on Little Lake Harris and at Sparks Village, which sits on a canal leading to the lake. Lake County renovated the ramps at the Hickory Point Recreation Complex on State Road 19 near Tavares, and the rebuilt slips can launch 30-foot boats. The Griffin Park ramp in Howey-in-the-Hills, on Little Lake Harris, requires an annual Town permit that includes an access key.

The lake is named after Ebenezer Jackson Harris, who settled at Yalaha in the 1840s. Before that it was called Lake Eustis. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission lists largemouth bass, black crappie and bream as the chain's main sport fish.