"Experts" pick "the best lake in the U.S."

[Glenn MacGrady]

"Did you know that the continental U.S. has 479,950 lakes?"

"An expert panel for USA Today’s 10 Best Readers Choice Awards nominated their top picks, and readers voted to crown Lake Erie the best lake in the U.S."

This is the best lake in the U.S.—and it's a diving hotspot

It’s got shipwrecks, fishing and warmish water

www.timeout.com

Here is the experts' list of the 10 best lakes in the U.S. Would any be picked by an open canoeist?

What is the Best Lake for 2026?

Lakes across the United States have plenty to offer for those who enjoy the great outdoors, from fishing and boating to swimming and camping.

10best.usatoday.com

 

[recped]

"Did you know that the continental U.S. has 479,950 lakes?"

Did you know that Canada has 4 times that number of lakes?

Another interesting fact, only 52% of US lakes are "natural".

Lake Erie has a lot of positives for the listed activities, not so much for paddling, I'm "old" and can't forget Love Canal, algae bloom and all the pollutants being dumped into it on the US side. There was a time when few people would stick their toe into Erie but it has gotten much better since the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement in 1972, Erie especially really benefited.

I've done some paddling on the north shore of Superior, it's fantastic but only for those with a brain that can discern when to paddle and when to take a layover day.

 

[ppine]

There are some nice lakes on the list, but you better pick the right day and the right time for lakes that big.
Best lakes for what? Looking at? Admiring from afar? Imagining going on vacation?

All of those lakes are too big for canoes a lot of the time. I had a sailboat on Lake Tahoe for 6 years. Too big, too rough, too cold, and nowhere to hide. I have paddled it many times, but it is risky. People surf on Lake Tahoe.

If Lake Erie is the number one best lake in America, then I have zero faith in the people doing the selecting.

 

[Boreal Birch]

My grandfather told me that his grandfather had told him that, “There wasn’t anything good about Lake Erie except abject misery.” That ancestor had two ships that carried freight & passengers on Lake Erie back in the days of sailing ships. Both were lost in storms. Took his family to Lake Pipen on the Mississippi where he built a hotel and farm. Lived out his life in prosperity.
I agree with ppine’s last sentence 100%.

 

[Odyssey]

In my humble opinion the best lake in the US or anywhere for that matter is the one nobody else knows about.

 

[Gamma1214]

In my humble opinion the best lake in the US or anywhere for that matter is the one nobody else knows about.

Or, at least, is hard enough to get to that nobody else is willing to put in the effort.

 

[MichaelMerry]

Lake Erie is our home lake. We paddle it frequently and actually watched an array of municipal fireworks displays last night from the lake and our sea kayaks. I know the lake very well. I don’t think I’d enjoy paddling a canoe on it.
But fantastic scenery, vastly improved water quality and beaches and the best walleye fishing in the world.

 

[canube]

let alone the steelhead fishing........

 

[Chip]

"Best of" lists are always disappointing. But look at the methodology and the results make sense. To be considered for the list, the lakes had to be nominated by a panel of top-10 list makers. If you look at the panel-members, none of them were paddlers. There were a good number of fishermen, but most are travel advisors, restaurant reviewers and the like. The introductory paragraph of the article says these are good places for camping (remember, "camping" mostly means RVs), fishing, boating (remember, "boating" does not mean paddling!), and diving. After being nominated, readers voted, and the best lakes were revealed. If our favorite lakes were nominated, readers would not likely be familiar, and would not have voted for them anyway.

I've dipped a paddle* in five of those lakes and would rank Tahoe and Superior on top. Cumberland is kind of an armpit, IMO.

What would you include as criteria for selecting best lakes? Mine would include categories such as:

• water quality
• camp sites
• interesting features to paddle through/near
• remoteness
• access points
• scenery
• historic interest

Would have to develop scoring guidelines, etc. to get to picking the best, or we could just let the readers vote!

* full disclosure: kayak paddle, have not canoed any of those lakes

 

[ppine]

This is a list of best known lakes. Best canoeing lakes are much smaller and less well known. They all remain anonymous.

 

[Gamma1214]

Best canoeing lakes are much smaller and less well known. They all remain anonymous.

Which is why the trip reports here are so cool.