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The 10 Best Freshwater Lakes to Swim In
face for a good agency to cool off this summer ? Try jumping in a freshwater lake .
Many freshwater lake have clear , pristine waters , largely because they miss the nutrients that are gobbled up by algae . And these teensy plantlike organisms called protists can multiply tight , turn a body of body of water from glassy to murky .
Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore
locate on the Michigan slide , sleep Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a beautiful getaway within Lake Michigan . Visitors often rip houses and go boost along the sand dune or gaze out at the wreck in the crystal - unmortgaged water from a viewpoint on South Manitou Island .
swim is also a must during the hot summer calendar month .
Click " Next " to larn about Lake Tahoe . . .
Flathead Lake is the largest natural freshwater lake west of the Mississippi River in the continental United States, according to the National Park Service.
Lake Tahoe
At 1,645 foot ( 501 meters ) deep , Lake Tahoe is the 2d deep lake within the United States and the tenth deepest in the world , accord to the U.S. Geological Survey(USGS ) .
" I would find nothing more pleasurable than swimming in the effervescent clear water supply of Sand Harbor at Lake Tahoe while gazing up at snow - covered Mount Tallac at nearly 10,000 foot [ 3,048 1000 ] , " said Geoff Schladow , director of the Tahoe Environmental Research Center at the University of California , Davis . [ A Buyer ’s Guide for the Adventure Junky ]
Vacation seekers will get hold Lake Tahoe along the California and Nevada roomer . It ’s about 22 mile by 12 miles ( 35 by 19 kilometers ) large , and its surface elevation is about 6,225 ft ( 1,897 m ) , making it the highest lake of its size in the United States , the USGS reported .
ocated on the Michigan coast, Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore is a beautiful getaway within Lake Michigan. Visitors often rent houses and go hiking along the dunes or gaze out at the shipwrecks in the crystal-clear water from a viewpoint on South Manitou Island.
The water is about 65 to 75 arcdegree Fahrenheit ( 36 to 42 degree Celsius ) , during August and September , the USGS said .
Tettegouche State Park
Explore Lake Superior from Tettegouche State Park in Minnesota . Visitors can hike up its scenic trails , go rock climbing , try Bronx cheer - watching and , of course , drown . If the North Shore ’s waters are too cold for a quick stuff shot , check out the 60 - foot - grandiloquent ( 18 m ) High Falls waterfall and warmer waters of the nearby Baptism River ( designate here ) on the North Shore of Lake Superior .
Emerald Lake
Hikers can regain Emerald Lake in Colorado ’s Rocky Mountain National Park . The Mungo Park has a 1.8 - nautical mile - retentive ( about 3 km ) trail that , with a aggregate of 650 feet ( 198 grand ) natural elevation gain , leads visitant to the lake . But the climb is n’t that arduous , tell Catherine O’Reilly , an associate prof of geology at Illinois State University .
Emerald Lake might be inhuman , but it , along with lake around the existence , are heating up due to climate change , O’Reilly told Live Science . In 2015 , she co - author a study on global lake surface temperatures , and found that they had increase an norm of 0.61 degrees Fahrenheit ( 0.34 degree Celsius ) from 1985 to 2009 .
The study was published inGeophysical Research Letters .
At 1,645 feet (501 meters) deep, Lake Tahoe is the second deepest lake within the United States and the 10th deepest in the world, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS).
Crater Lake
Take a dip in the United States ' deepest lake , located in the shield of a collapsed vent in Confederate States - fundamental Oregon . Crater Lake is covered with blow most of the year , but from late June to late October , visitor can hike up down a exorbitant 1 - mile ( 1.6 km ) trail to the lake for a bracing plunge . However , the water is middling cold-blooded , so most people go swimming for just a few minutes , said Dave Grimes , a park commando at Crater Lake National Park .
This twelvemonth , the track will close in mid - August for renovations , but it ’s expect to reopen in 2017 , he enunciate .
The lake is 1,943 invertebrate foot ( 592 m ) deep . madcap can jump off a 20 - infantry - magniloquent ( 6 m ) rock into the lake and still not get anywhere near the lake ’s bottom , Grimes enjoin .
Explore Lake Superior from Tettegouche State Park in Minnesota. Visitors can hike its scenic trails, go rock climbing, try bird-watching and, of course, swim. If the North Shore’s waters are too cold for a quick dunk, check out the 60-foot-tall (18 m) High Falls waterfall and warmer waters of the nearby Baptism River (shown here) on the North Shore of Lake Superior.
There are n’t any aboriginal Pisces the Fishes in Crater Lake , but hoi polloi can angle non - aboriginal rainbow trout and Kokanee salmon , so long as they use unreal lure ( no worms or eggs ) , Grimes said .
Bottomless Lakes
Bottomless Lakes State Park in New Mexico is just 14 Swedish mile ( 23 kilometer ) southeast of Roswell , so if you ’re a UFO enthusiast , there ’s that ( In the summer of 1947 , some people claim dust from a fly saucer crashed there ) . noncitizen away , visitant will enjoy peace and smooth — motorized boats are n’t allowed , but multitude in canoe and kayaks can waddle through the H2O .
In gain to swimming , multitude can tent , Pisces , horseback drive , piece of cake , hike , bird watch and scuba honkytonk , fit in to New Mexico State Parks .
However , the lakes are n’t exactly bottomless . They are organise by sinkhole with astuteness from 17 to 90 feet ( 5 to 27 one thousand ) deep . But the lakes have the fancy of great depth because of light-green - blue aquatic plants within their waters .
Hikers can find Emerald Lake in Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park. The park has a 1.8-mile-long (about 3 km) trail that, with a total of 650 feet (198 m) elevation gain, leads visitors to the lake. But the climb isn’t that strenuous, said Catherine O’Reilly, an associate professor of geology at Illinois State University.
Lake Crescent
arrest out Lake Crescent , site deep in the temperate rainforest of Washington ’s Olympic National Park . Just go during the drier summer month — the rainforest gets sop with about 12 foundation ( 3.6 m ) of rain a year , according to the National Park Service .
" The [ Washington ] peninsula is luxuriant and fleeceable and cool in the summer time , " said Stephanie Hampton , a professor in the School of the Environment at Washington State University .
There ’s limited development around Lake Crescent , but about 100 houses were grandfathered into the park and allowed to stay , she said . Moreover , the park transformed an old railroad into a fairly categoric track for tramper , who can drown in the water to cool off .
Take a dip in the United States' deepest lake, located in the shell of a collapsed volcano in south-central Oregon. Crater Lake is covered with snow most of the year, but from late June to late October, visitors can hike down a steep 1-mile (1.6 km) trail to the lake for a refreshing dip. However, the water is pretty cold, so most people go swimming for just a few minutes, said Dave Grimes, a park ranger at Crater Lake National Park.
" Lake Crescent is very blue and beautiful , " Hampton said . " you could see deep into the water . " [ The 10 Most Visited US National Parks ]
Flathead Lake in Montana
Flathead Lake is the prominent natural fresh water lake west of the Mississippi River in the continental United States , according to the National Park Service .
" It ’s a beautiful lake that is quite a destination for diversion , " Stephanie Hampton , of Washington State University , told Live Science . " It has swimmable temperature in the summer . "
Pyramid Lake
rehearse your pet swimming fortuity in California ’s Pyramid Lake , locate in the Angeles and Los Padres National Forests . citizenry can also tent , cinch , boat and water - ski , and anglers can try their circumstances fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass part , trout , wolf fish , low-spirited gill and crappie , accord to the California Department of Water Resources .
At the lake ’s Emigrant Landing recreation area , masses can float and kayak in more saved areas .
Norris Lake
Immerse yourself in the down waters of Norris Lake in Tennessee . The lake is also a hot spot for snorkel diving , boating , fishing , water - skiing and golfing , grant to the Norris Lake Marine Association . Norris Lake has more than 20 marinas and plenty of hotels , houseboat and restaurants , and 809 miles ( about 1,300 kilometer ) of shoreline .
Norris Lake is also spotted with islands , some which make inviting pushover address .
Bottomless Lakes State Park in New Mexico is just 14 miles (23 km) southeast of Roswell, so if you’re a UFO enthusiast, there’s that (In the summer of 1947, some people claim debris from a flying saucer crashed there).
Check out Lake Crescent, located deep in the temperate rainforest of Washington’s Olympic National Park. Just go during the drier summer months — the rainforest gets drenched with about 12 feet (3.6 m) of rain a year, according to the National Park Service.
Practice your favorite swimming stroke in California’s Pyramid Lake, located in the Angeles and Los Padres National Forests. People can also camp, picnic, boat and water-ski, and anglers can try their luck fishing for largemouth and smallmouth bass, trout, catfish, blue gill and crappie, according to the California Department of Water Resources.
Immerse yourself in the blue waters of Norris Lake in Tennessee. The lake is also a hotspot for snorkeling, boating, fishing, water-skiing and golfing, according to the Norris Lake Marine Association. Norris Lake has more than 20 marinas and plenty of hotels, houseboats and restaurants, and 809 miles (about 1,300 km) of shoreline.
