The U.S. West has no shortage of beautiful lakes, but since just about everyone knows about lakes such as Tahoe, the Great Salt Lake, and Coeur d-Alene, we wanted to cover some beautiful natural lakes in the Western states that aren’t exactly secret but which a lot of people, maybe even most, don’t know about. And even better: you can drive up to every lake on this list!
Picture Lake, Washington
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As the name suggests, you’ll want to grab your camera or phone as soon as you see this lake near the end of the Mt. Baker Scenic Highway. It perfectly frames and sometimes perfectly reflects Mt. Shuksan, one of the most beautiful mountains in America and really in all the world.
Trillium Lake, Oregon
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If you’re suspecting that this lake has a great view of Mt. Hood, Oregon’s highest peak and one of the most iconic of the Cascade volcanoes, you’re right. At the right time of year, you can also see the wildflowers that are this lake’s namesake.
Tenaya Lake, California
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Anyone who’s visited the Tuolumne Meadows area in the high country of Yosemite National Park knows about this lake, but it’s off the radar of almost everyone who hasn’t. It frames great views of mountain peaks, and it also has beaches popular with waders and swimmers even though the waters stay cold all summer long.
Saratoga Springs, California
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Death Valley National Park is the hottest place on Earth and one of its driest, so it’s not exactly where you would expect to find a lake. Saratoga Springs, near the southern boundary of the park, is an exception. Desert springs have created a lake surrounded by a narrow strip of lush vegetation, and it’s also a critical watering hole for wildlife.
Pyramid Lake, Nevada
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Dry and mostly covered by desert scrub and island-like mountain ranges, Nevada, with the exception of its portion of Lake Tahoe, isn’t a place you think of when you think of lakes. Saline Pyramid Lake, about an hour’s drive from Reno and named for a prominent rock formation rising from it, is an unexpected dazzlingly blue gem in the Nevada desert.
Quitobaquito, Arizona
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In Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument, you’ll find this spring-fed lake mere yards from the Mexico border. Like so many other desert oases, it’s ringed by a narrow band of lush plant growth that defies the surrounding desert and attracts a broad array of wildlife.
Redfish Lake, Idaho
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Idaho’s Sawtooth Mountains are its most spectacular. Redfish Lake is a perfect place to experience them. It has spectacular views, boating, camping, a lodge and restaurant, and hiking trails that get you into these mountains.
St. Mary Lake, Montana
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Glacier National Park has several beautiful natural lakes you can drive right past and up to, but if we had to pick one as the best, it would be St. Mary. Lake McDonald is the largest, longest, and deepest lake in the park, and it’s no slouch, but St. Mary Lake, which comes in at #2 on all those counts, simply has more spectacular peaks surrounding it. Plus, since it’s on the east side, which tends to be quite windy, it often has a rough surf resembling ocean shores.
Freezeout Lake, Montana
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Glacier National Park and the Bob Marshall Wilderness Complex protect a nearly unbroken line of mountains from the Canadian border well into central Montana. The western side gets more precipitation and thus is more heavily forested, and the eastern side is drier and more windswept, often with better views of the mountains. Freezout Lake, on the eastern side and south of Choteau, frames awesome views of the distant mountains, and it’s also the centerpiece of a national wildlife refuge that’s critical for migrating birds and for native wildlife.
Beartooth Lake, Wyoming
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If you’re driving the famous Beartooth Highway connecting the Montana towns of Cooke City and Red Lodge while passing through Wyoming for much of its length, you’ll see Beartooth Lake. And you’ll probably want to stop to take a picture because Beartooth Butte rising directly behind the lake makes for a classic scene.
Yellowstone Lake, Wyoming
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Yellowstone Lake is the largest high-altitude lake in the country. Like Tenaya Lake, it’s cold all summer long, but that doesn’t keep people from swimming and wading in it. But don’t let that keep you from stopping at one or more of the many pullouts along this Yellowstone National Park standout to get a picture of one or more of the amazing views here.
Brooks Lake, Wyoming
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Between Moran Junction in Grand Teton National Park and the little town of Dubois, the road climbs to Togwotee Pass on the Continental Divide. About 5 miles east of the pass, there’s a turnoff for Brooks Lake. It’s an unpaved road, but it’s passable to most cars, and the payoff is more than worth all the bumps and bangs on the way there.
Maroon Lake, Colorado
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Long ago, Aspen stopped being a symbol of authentic Colorado. Nevertheless, no matter how many celebrities and billionaires buy homes there, they can’t tear the mountains down. The drive out to Maroon Lake, with its views of the lovely Maroon Bells, will temporarily make you forget how awful driving through Aspen is and how crazy the prices are.
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