You’ve probably been getting your travel fix these last few months by scrolling beautiful photos on Instagram, but slowly you’re beginning to ponder where your next real-life vacation should take you. Millions of Americans take #LakeTrips annually throughout the US to get that perfect Insta-shot while enjoying miles of stunning inland coastline, but these six fantastic lakes are literally the most Instagrammed, as measured by hashtags reaching into the millions. Can we say #LakeLife?
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Lake George, New York
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Known as the “Queen of the American Lakes” with its 109 miles of shoreline and more than 300 islands, Lake George is a vacation paradise offering more than enough photo-shoot opportunities. Visitors come for all different kinds of lake activities like kayaking, rafting and stand-up paddleboarding and stay for the epic views of the Adirondack Mountains. Travelers can pick from hotels, cabins and campsites surrounding the lake and enjoy the charming lakeside towns nearby.
Lake Superior, Minnesota
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Minnesota is known as the “Land of 10,000 Lakes”, but the real number is even more impressive: 11,842. Lake Superior is the largest of the five Great Lakes and shares a border with Wisconsin, Michigan and Ontario on the Canadian side. This stretch of Midwestern coast is spectacular, especially around Tettegouche State Park (pictured) in Lake County, about an hour northeast of Duluth. Your Instagram followers will instantly add the great Minnesota outdoors to their bucket lists after seeing this one, thanks to its dramatic cliffs, waterfalls and pristine hardwood forests.
Crater Lake, Oregon
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Why should you visit Crater Lake? Because it is a dormant volcano. If that isn’t cool enough for your Insta-shot, what is really? Located in the Cascade Mountains in southern Oregon, the lake is breathtakingly beautiful, surrounded by trees and mountains. And it’s actually one of the clearest lakes in the world because the water only comes from snow or rain. So you’ll be able to snap those pristine glistening water shots that don’t even look real. #winning
Canyon Lake, Arizona
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A lake in Arizona? Yep! Despite being surrounded by the Sonoran Desert, the Grand Canyon State is home to one of the most instagrammed lakes. Canyon Lake is bordered by stunning red cliffs and canyon walls crawling with cacti and desert wildlife. It’s open to boating, kayaking, paddleboarding, fishing, and other water recreation year-round. We’re sensing an impressive backdrop here for your next post.
Lake Michigan, Wisconsin
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For all practical purposes, Lake Michigan is more like an ocean. It’s one of the five Great Lakes and the most instagrammed out of 15,074 lakes in the state of Wisconsin. But did you know that the vistas are miraculous even on cloudy days, like this photo off the limestone cliffs from Cave Point Park in Door County (a.k.a. the “Cape Cod of the Midwest)? The park contains underwater caves, hiking trails and these cliffs that have visitors acclimating to #lakelife along Lake Michigan quite easily.
Lake Tahoe, California
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If traveling immediately, call ahead to make sure hotels on the California side of Tahoe are open. (The Golden State was one of the last to lift COVID travel restrictions.) But lake lovers know that Lake Tahoe is worth the wait, no matter what season. It’s one of the top lakes posted on social media, probably because it’s absolutely gorgeous. Whether you’re surrounded by sparkly blue-green water in the summer or snowed-peaked mountains in the winter, Lake Tahoe is one of California’s most instagrammable spots 365 days a year.
Jeanette Zinno
Latest posts by Jeanette Zinno (see all)
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Very energetic post, I enjoyed that bit. Will there be a part 2?
This is so nice! Very beautiful views. I would like to go and see it all live.
Thank you for inspiring more work so that you have the opportunity to go somewhere to see the world. Good luck!
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