There’s nothing quite like a lake. Glistening blue water laps at the shore as families enjoy picnics on the beach and boaters enjoy the great outdoors. Lakes can be a truly magical and enchanting place to spend the day or camp. Here’s a list of five wonderful American lakes anyone can enjoy.
Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri
Lake of the Ozarks is a highlight of Missouri with more than 1,000 miles of amazing shoreline, pristine beaches and all sorts of places for fun in the sun. The region of Lake of the Ozarks also has excellent places to stay, eat and party as well as sports and activities like golfing, riding horses, boat trips, wine tours, zipline adventures, spa excursions and all sorts of everything related to being out on the water if you have your own boat (if not you can rent one at almost any marina).[1]
Crater Lake, Oregon
Crater Lake in Oregon is a natural wonder full of amazing places to scuba dive and explore. It’s actually the site of a flooded-out volcano and has the largest depth of any lake in the country, extending down an incredible 1,943 feet. You don’t need to get down that deep to see the amazing stuff closer to the surface though including the moss formations under the water, the dried ridges of lava and all sorts of feet. Note for those who don’t like walking uphill: to start your dive you need to climb 700 feet in elevation to Cleetwood Cove Trail; another option is to take a boat cruise around the lake instead with the Wizard Island line.[1]
Lake Kabetogama, Minnesota
Minnesota is known as the Land of Ten Thousand lakes and it deserves the moniker. One of the best of all is Lake Kabetogama (say that quickly now ten times in a row). You can go for an amazing canoe or kayak excursion on this lake and camp out at remote and beautiful sites. It’s an amazing place to see wildlife like wolves, moose and otters as well. Lake Kabetogama is right along the US-Canada border and is over 25,000 acres big so it has tons of places for you to discover as well as all sorts of fascinating historical places linked to the founding of French Canada and the fur trade.[1]
Lake Champlain, New York and Vermont
Lake Champlain is a stunningly beautiful lake located in New York and Vermont that was historically crucial in the American Revolution as Benedict Arnold’s Royal Savage ship battled in out with the Brits. It was also important in the French Indian War and the War of 1812. In addition to lovely beaches like Ausable beach and great restaurants you can stop off at, Lake Champlain is refreshing to swim in and has all sorts of great places you can boat to such as Plattsburgh, New York or South Hero Island in Vermont. You can also do amazing hiking in the area exploring the magical Adirondack mountains.[1]
Priest Lake, Idaho
Priest Lake in Idaho is lined by majestic firs and is a wonderful lake and tiny town with all sorts of cabin rentals that fill up come summer. The beautiful freshwater lake is wonderful to explore and the local town and businesses are a lot of fun to shop at and eat at. There’s also golf in the area and places to visit that will take you way back into history like Indian Rock which has drawings from Native Americans from thousands of years ago. As for wildlife? It’s absolutely all over the place – cell service not so much.[1]
[1] https://www.visitmo.com/things-to-do/the-lake-of-the-ozarks
[2] https://www.travelandleisure.com/trip-ideas/summer-vacations/americas-best-lake-vacations
[3] https://kabetogama.com/
[4] https://www.thrillist.com/travel/nation/best-lake-towns-destinations-in-america-south-lake-tahoe-havasu-city-charlevoix