On a whole finding a good lake comes down to the location and the purpose. Once you have identified those two items finding a good lake becomes a lot more simple.
Overall finding a good lake uses a combination of local advice, forums, social media, and researching state and national parks. When you combine all these methods you will soon have a list of incredible lakes to visit with your families.
Ask Locals For Their Advice
For the most part, locals are the best source of advice when searching for a good lake. Not only do locals not the area but they will also know the nature of the lake. This is vital information that you are not likely to find in many other places.
I find that when you ask locals for their advice it can differ significantly from what online sources may say about the lake. This is important when they are telling you about safely concerns that you may need to be aware of. These can pop up unexpectantly and not be relayed in online sources yet.
Locals can also give out great advice on “secret” locations on the lake. We love when we find hidden treasures away from the crowds. We have a secret beach where we live that we can usually have to ourselves despite living in the most popular beach city in Australia. We are always willing to share our beach secret with other visiting families.
Not only can locals give you advice on good lakes they can share their knowledge on a whole raft of points of interest in the area. This can be places to eat, things to do, and places to stay.
Don’t be afraid to ask for opinions because everyone loves to talk up their local area.
Search Out Forums
I find forums to be a huge source of knowledge when I am seeking out advice on places to take our kids swimming in nature. I am part of several travel forums and all I have to do is ask “can someone recommend a great lake to swim in whichever state we are traveling to”.
Other forum goers are more than happy to share their experiences and offer photos along with advice on the area. What I love about these forums is that everyone has the same interests as me in that we love adventuring with out families. This helps because in is a concentrated group of like minded individuals, therefore the majority of the advice is going to be pertinent to me. They will know that I am probably looking for places for the kids to swim, somewhere safe, easily accessible and if there are bathrooms.
Forums are great for any hobby. If you are looking for a good fishing lake then a forum is also the place to be. A fishing forum will be a wealth of knowledge as to where the best fishing spots are, what types of fish you can expect to catch and best times to hit the lake.
Whatever you purpose is in looking for a good lake try to find a forum that fits that purpose. Reddit and Facebook are my two favourites.
Use Social Media
There are so many different social media platforms out there at the moment and every single one of them can help you find a good lake.
Travel bloggers and adventure enthusiasts spend hours visiting and narrowing down the best lakes in the world. A quick search will reveal a multitude of lakes to visit along with the best activities to do at those lakes.
If fishing on the lake is what you are after, Pinterest is going to be your friend too. You will find a deluge of articles not only pointing you in the right direction for an amazing lake but also the best bait and lures to use in that said lake.
One way to use instagram to find awesome lakes is to follow accounts with similar interests to you. Whether that be hiking, adventure, waterfalls, outdoor fun, fishing etc. These accounts will likely visit amazing places and post about them. When the do, save the post for future reference.
Another way to use Instagram to find brilliant lakes is to use the seach feature. You can either search terms like “fishing lake”, “lake vacation” or “lake swimming”. You will be inundated with posts highlights great lake spots to visit. If you want to know more about a particular post just send the author a message and they will be able to answer any questions.
I use Facebook mainly for their forum like features. One particular group I am a part of is called “Traveling Australia With Kids”. This group has been a wealth of knowledge and helped me to find amazing places that I would never have known about otherwise.
Join different groups that focus on outdoor adventure, camping, fishing, traveling etc and you will have so many suggestions of perfect lakes that you will spend the rest of your life trying to visit them all.
Youtube
While Youtube is on the border of the social media sphere it offers a lot of valuable information. A quick search of “best lakes to visit” will give you a great starting point in your search for a great lake.
What I love most about Youtube is that it is so visual which I feel is really important in this kind of search. You want to be able to visually see what they lake is like, what the area is like, and what sort of facilities or activities are available. It offers so much more than simply reading about the lake.
Visit Lakes With Friends
Some of the most incredible places we have visited have been when friends have taken us to their favourite spots. I would guess that at least 80% of our all time favourite places have come as a result friend suggestions.
If you know your friends love to visit lakes to take the boat out make a plan to head out together. Once you have been out to visit it will be much easier to head out again.
When you go with friends who have been before they will know all the in’s and out’s of the area which as you know is valuable information.
Research State and National Parks
State and national parks are usually great places to find good lakes. This is because amazing places in nature, like incredible lakes are often protected in state and national parks.
Denali National Park in Alaska has over 4000 lakes! These lakes are well known for being prime fishing locations.
Sequoia and Kings Canyon and Yosemite are well appointed in the lake department also.
This post here will take you to some of the most exquisite lakes in national parks. No doubt you will need to add them to the bucket list.
How Do You Know if a Lake is Good for Fishing?
Overall a lake is good for fishing if you notice there is a decent amount of vegetation in the area. Fish are most often found in areas with vegetation due to the plant life producing more oxygen.
If there is not vegetation don’t give up. Some fish will also be present in areas that offer a good amount of shelter. Shelter can come in forms of piles of logs in the water or areas built up with rocks.
If the lake is lacking these qualities it often means that the ecosystem of the lake is not prime and fish will likely be scarce.
How Do You Know if a Lake is Good for Swimming?
Generally lake is a good swimming lake if it is free of algae. You should also be wary of swimming in a lake that is near farmland, or drainage pipes. These two scenarios could mean that there is harmful bacteria being running into the water.
Algae in lakes can often be harmless but certain types of algae can cause serious illnesses. If you are unsure of the algae present it is best to avoid the lake. One particularly problematic type of algae is called Cyanobacteria. If it makes it’s way into your body it can cause all sorts of issues.
“Sometimes cyanobacteria is toxic and people can experience skin, eye, or ear irritation with contact. If toxic cyanobacteria is swallowed, it can cause stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhoea, sore throat, fever, headache, muscle and joint pain, or nerve and liver damage,”
Washington State Department of Health
Farmland and drainage pipes provide the perfect way for harmful E.coli to make their way into the lake. E.coli can cause serious stomach upsets and definitely put a dampener on the weekend at the lake.
People have gotten an E. coli infection by swallowing lake water while swimming. Symptoms are similar to Shigella and include severe diarrhoea and bloody stool. This infection can also be life-threatening and cause permanent damage to the kidneys. Swimming in inadequately disinfected pools or contaminated beaches are potential sources of infection
Washington State Department of Health
Another final warning for lake swimming is to never swim in a lake that has signs up warning against swimming or entering the water. There may be hidden dangers that you can not see that could potentionally harm you .
On a whole if it is a popular lake, with many other families and locals swimming you can be feel fairly safe swimming also.