The best lakes in the U.S. for a scenic summer getaway

Lake getaways often spawn memories that last a lifetime, like canoe camping in the wilderness, learning how to fish, or finally mastering wakeboard or water skis.  

“There’s something nostalgic and quiet about lake life that people naturally connect with,” says Andie Gibson of Lake Lubbers, a travel booking platform featuring a directory of more than 2,100 lakes worldwide. “It offers a chance to slow down, spend time with family and friends, and get away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life.”

There are more than 100,000 lakes across the United States, according to WorldAtlas.  

They range from the colossal Great Lakes—which holds a whopping 21 percent of the world’s fresh water—to New England’s many “ponds,” and the lofty alpine tarns of the Rockies and Sierra Nevada.

Here are 15 incredible lakes to visit this summer.

Western Lakes

Lake Tahoe (California-Nevada)

North America’s largest alpine lake floats at 6,222 feet above sea level in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Also known as “Big Blue,” Lake Tahoe is renowned for its amazing water clarity—second to Oregon’s Crater Lake, by many measurements. 

Tahoe offers numerous ways to get out on the water, including paddleboarding across a mirror-like surface that reflects the surrounding peaks and forest. 

Staged in July and August at Sand Harbor on the Nevada side, the annual Lake Tahoe Shakespeare Festival offers the best of the Bard with the lake as a stunning backdrop. 

(Step into England's Tudor past on a tour of Shakespeare's home town)

Lake Chelan, Washington

Stretching 50 miles into the wilderness, this fjord-like body of water fills a stunning glacier-carved valley in the Cascades Range of northern Washington. 

More than a dozen wineries with tours and tasting rooms overlook the lake’s southern extreme. Many offer outdoor seating (with lake views) and live music in the summer, like the annual Lake Chelan Wine & Jazz Festival.

At the lake’s north end, ferries transport travelers from Chelan town to remote Stehekin village. From there, you can trek into North Cascades National Park, which encompasses more than 300 glaciers. 

Lake Clark, Alaska

The coast is home to the park’s photogenic grizzlies, but the wider lake region sees plenty of other critters, including caribou, Dall sheep, moose, wolves, and more than 100 species of birds. 

Half the fun is getting to this remote park. The only way to reach Lake Clark is by flying over some of Alaska’s most spectacular landscapes, from Anchorage to Port Alsworth. Lake & Peninsula Airlines takes visitors on flight tours around the vast park, while Sailing Lake Clark offers catamaran cruises from Port Alsworth. 

Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho

Tucked up in the Idaho Panhandle, Lake Coeur d’Alene has been luring visitors to its striking deep-blue waters since the late 19th-century.

Whether you go solo or board a lake charter, fishing in the area is superb. Rainbow trout, kokanee salmon, and largemouth bass are among the many species filling the lake.

Spread along the north shore, Coeur d’Alene city bustles with waterfront dining and lodging, as well as art galleries, lake cruises, shoreline hikes, a golf course with a floating green, and even scuba diving to view sunken Model-T Fords and steamboat wrecks. 

Flathead Lake, Montana

Located about halfway between Missoula and Glacier National Park in western Montana, Flathead is the largest natural freshwater lake in the western U.S. 

The lake area’s microclimate is ideal for growing sweet Flathead cherries. Visitors can sample the fruit at U-pick farms or during the Flathead Cherry Festival held every July in folksy downtown Polson.

Flathead Lake State Park, which encompasses the shoreline, is where locals head for camping and hiking, as well as paddling out to Wild Horse Island to see bighorn sheep, bald eagles, and the island’s namesake wild horses.

Bear Lake, Utah-Idaho

Who says the Caribbean is the only place you can swim in turquoise water? Straddling the Utah-Idaho border—at 6,000 feet in the Rockies —Bear Lake’s summer water temperature averages a warm 68-72 degrees. Stretching a mile along the Idaho shore, Bear Lake State Park’s waterfront camping and shallow waters are ideal for swimming and paddle sports. Over on the Utah side, around a two-hour drive from Salt Lake City, Garden City has the area’s largest selection of dining and accommodations around Bear Lake.

(Top 10 things to do in Salt Lake City, Utah)

With five summertime locations around the shoreline, Bear Lake Fun rents canoes and kayaks, speedboats, personal watercraft, and water trampolines.

Table Rock Lake, Missouri

With more than 800 miles of shoreline, this Ozarks oasis has plenty of ways to cool off during the summer.

Half a dozen marinas rent motorized and muscle-powered watercraft, as well as skippered yacht charters for visitors without sailing experience. Many daytime boaters converge on the lake’s popular “party coves” like Cow Creek.

After dark, the action moves from the water to Branson, where music and magic shows liven up the lake’s east end. 

Lake Caddo, Texas-Louisiana

Surrounded by gator-filled bayous and one of the nation’s largest flooded bald cypress forests, Caddo could easily be the setting for a Southern Gothic novel.

Navigating one of the lake’s five designated paddling trails is the best way to discover this watery wilderness.

Caddo Lake State Park is the best place to stay on the Texas side, which offers a choice of campsites, screened shelters, and historic cabins constructed by the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) in the 1930s. Tent camping and RV hook-ups are available at Earl G. Williamson Park, on the Louisiana side. 

Eastern Lakes

Squam Lake, New Hampshire

Squam Lake exudes classic New England charm captured in Ernest Thompson’s 1981 film On Golden Pond.

With its lakeside inns and Squam Lake Market Place for picnic fixings, Holderness village makes an excellent base for climbing West Rattlesnake Mountain or exploring the rest of the New Hampshire Lakes Region. 

Squam Boat Livery rents pontoons and Boston whalers for exploring on your own. Or hop aboard one of the daily summertime loon cruises by the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center.

Lake Champlain, Vermont and New York

New England’s largest natural lake was also a maritime battleground during both the American Revolution and the War of 1812.

On the Vermont shore, the 14-mile-long Island Line Trail, between Burlington and Grand Isle, takes cyclists across a narrow causeway to a dedicated bike ferry.  

(How to plan the ultimate road trip through New England)

Launched in 1826, Lake Champlain Ferry boats ply the lake to Upstate New York, where travelers tube or raft the Ausable Chasm or dive into living history at Fort Ticonderoga. 

Cayuga Lake, New York

The Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York traces its viticulture roots to 1829—a full decade before the first grapes were planted in California’s Napa Valley.

The soils and microclimate around Cayuga Lake are especially suited for growing cool-climate wines, now featured at the more than 10 wineries along the Cayuga Wine Trail.

Pair tastings with a visit to the Cayuga Museum of History and Art and the botanic gardens on the Cornell University campus at the lake’s south end.

Walden Pond, Massachusetts

This little lake on the outskirts of Boston has a huge reputation. In the 1840s, naturalist Henry David Thoreau spent two years living alone in a lakeside cabin, a sojourn that helped inspire the global environmental movement.

Modern-day visitors take dips at the sandy beach, paddle across the lake, or hike a leafy shoreline trail to the site of Thoreau's Cabin, now a national historic landmark. 

Lake Michigan

While the Great Lakes region is known for its big cities like Chicago and Milwaukee, charming small towns also spangle the shore of “America’s Third Coast.” 

Among the best vacation burgs are Traverse City and Mackinaw City in Michigan, and Ephraim on scenic Door Peninsula in Wisconsin. 

(The Great Lakes are this summer's best-kept secret)

Lake Michigan is big enough to churn up sizeable waves at places like New Buffalo, Michigan, and Sheboygan, Wisconsin, two hotbeds of Great Lakes surfing.  

Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin

One of America’s favorite fishing holes, Wisconsin’s largest inland lake brings more than a dozen game species, from walleye and bass to sturgeon, perch, and catfish. Each year, thousands of anglers head to the lake for fishing competitions, including the family-friendly, catch-and-release Winnebago Walleye Series in the late spring and early summer.

Many of the lake area’s summer festivals revolve around fishing too. Held on the waterfront in Fond du Lac, Walleye Weekend (June 26-28) includes live music, food stalls, a sand sculpting competition on the beach, and three different fishing tournaments. 

Norris Lake, Tennessee

Created in the 1930s behind a dam built by the Tennessee Valley Authority, Norris Lake has evolved from its original power-generating purpose into one of the South’s major aquatic playgrounds. 

Naturally, staying on the water is the way to go, with rentals ranging from houseboats at Beach Island Marina that sleep as many as 14 passengers to floating homes at Flat Hollow Marina with as many as four or five bedrooms, large outdoor decks, waterslides, and fully equipped kitchens.

Taking a page from the Acapulco playbook, Norris offers various ways to dive into the lake, including Jumping Rock at Captain’s Cove, Cedar Creek Jumping Bridge, and the giant floaties at Sugar Hollow Water Park.