Lake McDonald is the largest glacier lake in the famous Glacier National Park on the border of Montana and Canada. It is 10 miles (16 km) long, over a mile (1.6 km) wide, and 472 ft (130 m) deep. The lake was created as the Ice Age glaciers have melted millions of years ago. Today, Lake McDonald is a prime destination to admire nature and the crystal clear waters of the freshwater lake, to go fishing, and spot some wild animals.
Probably one of the most unique lakes in the United States and the world is Lake Powell, which is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The lake is actually a man-made reservoir of the Colorado River that takes up 1,932 miles. The otherworldly combination of brick-colored canyons and cliffs with the clear waters of the lake create a one-of-a-kind sight, no wonder the lake attracts three million tourists annually.
While touring the lake, visitors will also be able to admire one of the largest natural bridges in the world - the Rainbow Bridge National Monument.
Diamond Valley Lake is another freshwater reservoir intended for emergency use with a capacity of 800,000 acre-feet (990,000,000 cubic meters). The lake is located near Hemet, California, and visitors can enjoy kayaking, boating, and fishing here. The best time to visit this lake is spring when the surrounding fields start blooming with golden poppies.
Crater Lake is the deepest lake in the United States and the ninth deepest in the world, reaching a depth of 1,943 ft (592 m) in some locations, which gives its waters a mysterious deep blue hue. The picturesque lake is quite literally a crater of a massive volcano that collapsed nearly 8.000 years ago. To this day, one can see how the crater shaped the shores of the lake if viewed from a distance.
The lake is a major tourist destination that offers all the activities imaginable, from biking and fishing in the summer to snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the winter.
The Great Salt Lake is the largest saltwater lake in the entire Western Hemisphere. This lake is actually the remnant of a huge prehistoric lake that once engulfed much of western Utah called Lake Bonneville. The waters of Great Salt Lake are high in salts, which makes swimming in it feel more like floating.
The picturesque lake is surrounded by a ring of beautiful pink and white salt deposits, and it is known as America's Dead Sea. Unlike the Dead Sea, though, the Great Salt Lake is brimming with life, with brine shrimp and several species of birds inhabiting it.
Lake Martin is the nature lover's paradise, as it features a natural cypress swamp and a wide range of wildlife. The lake is part of a 9,500-acre (38-square-kilometer) Cypress Island Preserve - a cypress and tupelo swamp forest that can be explored by boat. Several bird species, such as egrets and herons inhabit Lake Martin, as do and coypu rats, alligators, bullfrogs, and cottonmouth snakes.
