Top 10 | US Lakes

Our Favorite Freshwater Lakes

On a hot summer day in the middle of summer there's nothing better than a trip to a lovely freshwater lake. Lakes are often underrated when compared to the ocean, but lakes have plenty of cool water and beautiful beaches. Lakes are a great destination for water sports, fishing, sunbathing and so much more. This list has only a few of the best lakes in the country.

Voyageurs National Park, Minnesota
Voyageurs National Park, located right on the border of Canada in northern Minnesota, and is a great destination for lake recreation. This park is comprised of many interconnected waterways and islands, and various lakes including Rainy Lake and Kabetogama Lake. Late summer is a great time to visit this park, all of the freshwater makes it a great destination for water sports. At this park visitors can enjoy house-boating, fishing, kayaking and canoeing. On land there are hiking trails which transform into ski trails during the winter. When the water freezes over in the winter visitors can enjoy ice-fishing, cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

Lake Tahoe, Nevada and California
Lake Tahoe is a great lake destination throughout the year, and visitors will find something fantastic to enjoy year-round. The Nevada shore of Lake Tahoe has casinos and a beautiful scenic byway. Both shores of the lake have beautiful beaches, amazing lakes view and vast amounts of recreation. Visitors will find beautiful resorts, great beaches, fun water sports, skiing and much more. In the winter visitors can enjoy amazing ski resorts in the area, including Squaw Valley USA. Lake Tahoe was also the host of the Winter Olympic Games in 1960, so has plenty of facilities for winter sports throughout the area. In the summer you can spend time at the beaches and even rent a boat to enjoy a wide range of water sports. Summer is also a great time of year to enjoy hiking on the Tahoe Rim Trail. Other summer activities include sport fishing, boating, wake-boarding, water-skiing and more.

Flathead Lake, Montana
Flathead lake is the largest natural freshwater lake in the Western United States. Visitors to the lake will be able to enjoy the stunning vistas of Montana while enjoying the cool waters. Much of the shore is rocky, but visitors will be able to find sandy beaches to enjoy as well. Flathead Lake is really a great destination for water sports. You can take a trip out to the state park on Wild Horse Island, where you will find plenty of recreation and the wild horses the island is named for. Throughout the area there are plenty of opportunities to camp, fish, hike and recreate on Flathead Lake. If you have a boat you can boat up to the Raven Restaurant and Bar for a Caribbean style dinner and cocktails. Beer enthusiasts should visit the Flathead Lake Brewing Company in Woods Bay. At the northern end of Flathead Lake you will find the city of Bigfork, stop and walk along its quaint streets, stroll through its galleries and grab a bite at El Topo for great Mexican food and margaritas.

Crater Lake, Oregon
Crater Lake is one of the most unique areas in the country. The lake is one of the deepest in the world and it has the most stunning blue color to the water. It is certainly a lake that everyone should take the opportunity to visit. The park makes a great summer and winter destination. The summer window is very brief, lasting only from July to October, the rest of the year the park is covered in snow. During the short summer visitors can enjoy the Rim Drive, hiking, camping, fishing, swimming in the lake and even taking a boat tour of the lake. The park offers interpretive programs where visitors can learn about the history of the park and the very interesting volcanic past of the lake. During the long winter, which lasts from October to July,  visitors can still enjoy cross-country skiing and snowshoeing on the trails.

Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
Located in central Missouri and it is a great resort destination. The area has amazing lodging, dining, state parks, plenty of nearby attractions and much more. Visitors will find over 1,000 miles of shoreline. The Lake of the Ozarks is a very family friendly destination too, with water parks, mini golf and more. Visitors to the Lake can enjoy golfing, fishing, wineries, galleries and of course water sports and plenty of lake recreation. The area also has plenty of trails in the nearby state parks and visitors can enjoy the cliffs, caves, forests and even more variety of natural landscapes.

Lake Norman, North Carolina
This man-made lake in North Carolina is a great destination to have fun and spending some time relaxing. In the area visitors can enjoy swimming, fishing, hiking and so much more. The local towns include Cornelius, Davidson and Huntersville. In the area visitors will find shopping, golfing, fishing and of course water sports. Lake Norman is the largest man-made lake in the Carolinas, it was created for the production of energy. The lake is 34 miles long and there are over 500 miles of shoreline. In addition to being a beautiful lake destination, Lake Norman is only twenty minutes away from Charlotte and all the delights of that city.

Lake George, New York
Located in the foothills of the Adirondacks. The lake is about 32 miles long and much of its shoreline is unsettled and there are continuing conservation efforts by both the state and federal government to preserve the unsettled shoreline. The small surrounding communities, especially Lake George, have shopping, attractions, dining and nightlife activities. One the lake visitors can enjoy boating, beach activities, hiking, biking,  swimming, parasailing and much more. Visitors to Lake George can see war reenactments, check out the local museums and even take lake tours.

Lake Chelan, Washington
Lake Chelan is one of he very best vacation spots in the state of Washington. It is an amazing summer destination, when you get out in the hot eastern Washington sun, the perfect way to cool off is in the cool waters of Lake Chelan. Located in the beautiful Cascades, Lake Chelan is 55 miles long and is the third deepest lake in the country, its average width is one mile. Visitors can enjoy swimming, boating, golfing, wine tasting and even hiking. At the northwest end of the Lake visitors will find the isolated town of Stehekin, which is only accessible by boat, float plane or on-foot. There are plenty of areas to enjoy recreation other than on the lake, at the southern end is Lake Chelan State Park and at the norther end is the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area. Throughout the region, on the lake, in the wilderness and in the small towns there are plenty of fun activities to partake in at Lake Chelan.

Lake Michigan
All of the Great Lakes are great lake vacation destinations, but Lake Michigan is a particularly excellent lake destination. One of the five great lakes, Lake Michigan is the only lake entirely within the United States. Along its shores visitors will find cities, sandy beaches, rocky beaches, islands and parks on its shores. The sandy beaches are some of the most beautiful beaches with soft sand. Its shores are lined with sandy dunes with beautiful beach grass. The water on the lake is clear and cool. All around, Lake Michigan is a stunning lake destination. Visitors to Lake Michigan will find resorts, camping and plenty of other accommodation options, and they can enjoy hiking, bird-watching and lots of water sports.

Lake Mead, Nevada
This lake is the largest reservoir in the United States, is it about 100 miles long and was created by and held behind the amazing Hoover Dam. Lake Mead, located on the Colorado River is about 30 miles away from Las Vegas. When the Hoover Dam was built, the impending creation of the reservoir forced the evacuation of several towns, when the water in the reservoir is low you can see the ruins of St. Thomas, the last person left St. Thomas in 1938. Lake Mead and the surrounding area is administered by the National Park Service. The Lake is surrounded by mountain ranges and has beautiful scenery. Visitors to Lake Mead will find plenty of recreation including boating, fishing, water skiing, swimming and of course sun bathing. This large lake has plenty of beaches to explore and the surrounding desert provides plenty of opportunities for land recreation including hiking, and enjoying the plants and wildlife of the Mojave Desert.