Vacation On The Lake

Vacation on the lake is the only vacation website in Victoria. Leading vacation planner, Canada’s best fishing guides and Central British Columbia’s top accommodations. Vacation on the lake has taken the hassle out of booking your next beautiful British Columbia vacation. Whether it’s a powerboat luxury yacht charter or fishing tour you’re looking for, our booking process is simple to use and saves you both time and money.

The majority of the US is currently buried waist-deep in snow.  Summer is the perfect time to escape the blistering sun – or just the dreary cold. If you’re looking for a summer vacation spot, consider a visit to Lake Tahoe.

I’ve been on this lake all weekend! Ooh, I haven’t seen the rocks here by the shore since I was a child! (Wow, I love rocks.) Oh look, there’s a big fish right at my feet in the sand. (Thank you for existing fish.) This is AMAZING! (Okay, I need to calm down.)

Summer is my favorite time of year. I love spending time at the lake with family and friends around – lots of laughing, swimming and tanning! The only thing missing is sunburn, which can leave your skin feeling dry and uncomfortable. There are so many products out there to protect your skin from the sun, but that’s not what made me realize something.

I was working for a small web design firm in the early 2000s, just starting out with some freelance gigs on the side. I wasn’t a designer, but made up for it in hustle and an innate understanding of how a web page should work.

Vacation On The Lake

Waking to another cloudless morning, you dive off your houseboat into the wild blue of Lake Powell in southern Utah. The water takes the edge off the heat, and you float along, contemplating a lazy day of navigating spectacular red-rock gorges and flooded canyons.

America offers a lake vacation for every season and activity, and no matter where you live, even in the Southwest desert, chances are there’s one near you. Satellite mapping has yet to yield a precise answer, but the best guess is that there are between 3 and 4 million lakes across the U.S., ranging from duck ponds to wonders like Oregon’s Crater Lake.

Minnesota, known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes, actually counts nearly 12,000 — the most named lakes among the lower 48 states. Michigan comes in a close second and Florida third, while among smaller states, Maine stands out with nearly 800. But Alaska trumps them all with an estimated 3 million lakes. We’re partial to Lake Clark by Port Alsworth, where wilderness adventures are guaranteed, whether you’re in the mood for kayaking, getting dragged by a dogsled team, or spotting grizzly bears and caribou.

While Lake Tahoe is most popular for winter sports and Wisconsin’s Lake Winnebago reaches its windsurfing peak in fall, we associate most lakes with summer vacation, as places to cool off and chill out. After all, lakes can inspire quiet reflection, most famously in the case of Henry David Thoreau, who sought out Walden Pond in the backwoods of Massachusetts.

These are the 25 best lake vacations in the United States.

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Lake Champlain, New York and Vermont

Best for History: On both land and water, Lake Champlain played a major part in three major American conflicts: the French and Indian War, the American Revolution, and the War of 1812. The lake’s long and often bloody history is recalled at forts Ticonderoga and Crown Point on the New York side, as well as at Mount Independence and the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum on the Vermont shore. You could stick to New York and double up with a stay at historic hotel The Sagamore at Lake George, south of Ticonderoga.

02of 25

Lake Superior, Michigan, Minnesota, and Wisconsin

Best for Fishing: Lake Superior is so vast it could easily hold all of the water from all of the other Great Lakes. That means there’s plenty of room for fish to thrive: salmon, trout, walleye, smelt, whitefish, herring, northern pike, smallmouth bass, and many other game species can be caught in abundance along the lake’s tristate shores. No matter what time of year, some sort of fishing is in season; Duluth, Minnesota and Bayfield, Wisconsin are among the charter hubs.

03of 25

Crater Lake, Oregon

Best for Scuba Diving: Other lakes have shipwrecks or sunken towns, but only Crater Lake offers the bragging rights of diving in a flooded volcano that also happens to be the deepest lake in the U.S. (and ninth deepest in the world). Without a deep-sea submersible, you won’t be able to reach the absolute bottom (1,943 feet). But there’s plenty to explore in the crystal-clear shallows: lava formations, wildlife (trout and salmon), and underwater moss meadows. The catch is that you have to schlep your own scuba equipment up and down the Cleetwood Cove Trail—700 vertical feet. If that’s not your idea of vacation, try the Wizard Island boat cruises around the crater’s island on that clear, calm blue water.

04of 25

Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin

Best for Windsurfing: Steady wind and easy launch make Winnebago the lake of choice for Wisconsin windsurfers and kite surfers — especially in summer, when the shallow, sandy bottom creates water temperatures that are downright tropical (75–85ºF). In winter, the lake converts to sail-powered ice racing.

05of 25

Lake Kabetogama, Minnesota

Best for Kayak or Canoe Camping: Paddle along the same routes as early French trappers, traders, and explorers on Lake Kabetogama in northern Minnesota. Part of the waterways that make up Voyageurs National Park, the lake offers more than two dozen wilderness campsites that can be reached only by boat, including gorgeous spots along Lost Bay and among the Chief Wooden Frog Islands. Keep an eye out for wildlife along the shore, from bear and bald eagles to otters, wolves, and moose.

06of 25

Lake Clark, Alaska

Best for Wilderness Adventure: The only way to reach super-secluded Lake Clark is trekking overland through the Alaskan bush, getting dragged by a dogsled team, or flying in by a floatplane. Flanked by snowcapped peaks, thick boreal forest, and whitewater rivers, the 50-mile-long lake is quintessential Alaska. Fishing, kayaking, and wildlife-watching are the main aquatic activities, while the lakeshore lends itself to weeklong hikes and backwoods camping. Tiny Port Alsworth offers a visitor center, kayak rental, guide services and outfitters, post office, and lodging.