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Jan 12, 2024 · Your next outdoor adventures await in this list of the most incredible mountain lakes in the United States. Come swim, hike, and more.
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- Lake Willoughby, Vermont
- Lake George, New York
- Lake Santeetlah, North Carolina
- Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming
- Lake Superior, Minnesota, Michigan, and Wisconsin
- Flathead Lake, Montana
- Crater Lake, Oregon
- Lake Tahoe, California and Nevada
- Caddo Lake, Texas and Louisiana
- Mono Lake, California
From majestic peaks to storybook fall foliage, Vermont is full of picturesque landscapes. So it's no surprise that one of the clearest, bluest lakes in New England is found in Willoughby State Forestnear the town of Westmore. Situated between Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor, Lake Willoughby is sometimes called "America's Lucerne,” and its clear waters a...
The so-called "Queen of American Lakes" was a playground for Gilded Age robber barons, many of whose original waterfront stone mansions still line a 10-mile stretch known as Millionaires' Row. The Sagamore Resort, which dates back to the 1880s, still welcomes guests today. At The Narrows, the southern Adirondacks squeeze the lake into a thin stretc...
Deep within the Nantahala National Forest and surrounded by the Great Smoky Mountains, Lake Santeetlah's forested 76-mile shoreline is almost completely protected from development. The result is an oasis of quietude for fishing, paddling a canoe or kayak, or just relaxing on the beach at Cheoah Point. This nearly 3,000-acre man-made lake, formed wh...
Clear, deep, and cold, Yellowstone Lake is found in one of the world's most geologically active areas, under the watch of the Beartooth and Absaroka mountains. Around 4 million visitors pour into the national parkeach summer, but winter could very well be the best time to see the lake; the bubbling geysers along the West Thumb shoreline appear as c...
The name speaks for itself: Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake (by surface area). And there's a lifetime's worth of views around every corner of its 2,800-mile majestic shoreline. Natural attractions include the 200-foot sandstone cliffs, beaches, and waterfalls that tumble into the lake at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore; the s...
Flatheadis the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi, with clean, crystalline waters cradled in the Flathead Valley by the Mission Mountains to the east and the Salish Mountains to the west. The lake is blessed with an unusually mild climate for an area so far north and inland, allowing for surrounding fruit orchards and vineyards...
Crater Lake's birth story is inscribed along its nearly 22-mile rim. It formed almost 8,000 years ago when volcanic Mount Mazama blew its top and left a smoldering caldera that would eventually fill with rain and snowmelt. At 1,943 feet, America's deepest lake is cut off from any incoming streams or rivers, so it remains extraordinarily clear. Visi...
Ringed by the snowcapped Sierra Nevada mountains and bathed in an Impressionist palette of blues, Tahoe is the largest alpine lake in North America and the second deepest (1,645 feet) in the U.S. With visibility of more than 70 feet in places, the lake's clarity is so remarkable that — if it weren't for the year-round chilly water — you could swear...
Of the handful of towns on Caddo Lake, none sums up the feel of this place better than Uncertain, Texas. Mystery seems to shroud the lake's 27,000 acres, where Spanish moss hangs like drapery from tree limbs in the world's largest cypress forest. In fact, this is not so much a lake as an interconnected maze of bayous, swampy marshes, and backwaters...
Amid a forbidding landscape of dusty desert, dry hills, and volcanic craters on the eastern flank of the Sierra Nevada, Mono Lakewas nearly destroyed by Los Angeles' thirst for the waters that fed it. When the water level plummeted, it exposed eerie-looking tufa towers. These limestone columns form underwater when calcium-rich underground springs r...
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- Iceberg Lake (Montana) Glacier National Park in the Northern Rocky Mountains has absolutely no shortage of spectacularly beautiful mountain lakes, but right up there among the most impressive has to be Iceberg Lake along the Continental Divide of the Lewis Range.
- Sawtooth Lake (Idaho) One of Idaho's most celebrated backcountry destinations, Sawtooth Lake lies nearly 8,500 feet up in the sublime Sawtooth Range. It nestled in the shadow of 10,190-foot Mount Regan--you really can't take a bad picture--and the trek up also delivers views of the slightly lower, and equally beautiful, Alpine Lake (also worth a side-trip visit on your Sawtooth Lake hike).
- Yellowstone Lake (Wyoming) Yellowstone Lake is the king of North America's mountain lakes: the biggest above 7,000 feet on the continent, a nearly 140-square-mile freshwater "sea" perched in the caldera of the Yellowstone Supervolcano.
- Dream Lake (Colorado) Here's a beloved, easy-to-reach hiking destination in Rocky Mountain National Park that earns its name honestly, framed as it is by Hallett Peak and Flattop Mountain.
Aug 14, 2024 · Survey your kingdom from a lesser-known birds-eye perch atop Donner Summit in Tahoe National Forest, catch the sunset over the lake from the floating bar at the Hyatt Regency Lake Tahoe, or...
Home to majestic mountains, pristine alpine lakes, and verdant forests, there's nowhere in the PNW quite like this range. There are numerous hiking trails in the Wallowas, each offering thrilling views of the majestic mountains.
Mar 20, 2023 · Most of the lakes are gorgeous with sun-filled backdrops, breezy winds, looming mountains, and emerald-clear waters filled with a range of sea life. If you want a wonderful vacation, all you have to do is find a lakeside cabin alongside any of the beautiful lakes in the USA, and you are guaranteed a great time.
Jun 26, 2024 · Each of these, the most beautiful lakes in the United States, offers a unique slice of American beauty, perfect for adventurers and relaxation seekers alike. Whether you’re drawn to the allure of high mountain lakes or the gentle charm of waters edged by forests and meadows, there’s a lake everyone can fall in love with.
