Nevada offers endless natural beauty for adventure-seekers, sightseers, and photographers to explore. It might surprise passersby that Nevada is home to some truly picturesque and beautiful lakes. Although there are only 36 lakes in the state, they offer truly breathtaking landscapes. We decided to poll our readers on our Only In Nevada Facebook page to ask about their favorite Nevada lakes to visit and explore. We then selected the best images among the submissions to comprise our list of the 11 most beautiful lakes in Nevada, according to our readers. We hope you enjoy the selections as much as we did!
- Lamoille Lake
Moira Smith via Only In Your State Located within the beautiful Ruby Mountains in Elko County at 9,747 feet in elevation, Lamoille Lake offers a restful reprieve from hot summer days at lower elevations. This pristine glacier-carved lake almost seems out of place in the driest state in the country, but it is a gem truly worth visiting.
- Lahontan Reservoir
jmoor17 / iStock / Getty Images Plus Lahontan Reservoir is located within the Lahontan State Recreation Area in northwestern Nevada. This lake is extremely popular for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, paddleboarding, swimming, and water skiing. On the fringes of the lake, you’ll also find plenty of trails for hiking and horseback riding and campgrounds if you’d like to stay a while and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
- Lake Mead
Tim Lenz / Flickr Lake Mead is the largest man-made reservoir in the US and one of the largest constructed lakes in the world. Located east of Las Vegas on Nevada’s southern border with Arizona, this lake offers spectacular scenery and plenty of recreational activities such as boating, kayaking, swimming, fishing, hiking, and more.
- Pyramid Lake
Scott Kreth via Only In Nevada As picturesque as can be, Pyramid Lake is one of the largest natural lakes in Nevada. It is also the largest remaining lake from Lake Lahontan, which used to cover most of Nevada’s land surface until about 9,000 years ago. It has unique geologic features, such as these tufa (limestone) formations after which the lake is named.
- Lake Tahoe
Jim DesRoches via Only In Nevada This list would not be complete without including the well-known and loved Lake Tahoe. Not only is this lake beautiful, as portrayed in this image of Secret Cove, but this lake is also widely sought after for its recreation: water skiing, boating, paddleboarding, jet skiing, fishing, and hiking are just some of the many activities that make this lake truly one-of-a-kind.
- Topaz Lake
Jeff Sullivan / Flickr Straddling Nevada’s western border with California is the breathtaking Topaz Lake. It is just as scenic and wonderful as Lake Tahoe, but smaller and less populated with recreational visitors. This is the perfect option if you’re hoping to be more removed from the crowds while soaking in the beauty of your surroundings.
- Liberty Lake
Beau Rogers / Flickr Liberty Lake is another glacially carved lake within the Ruby Mountains Wilderness. Situated at an elevation of 10,039 feet, you’ll have to hike a challenging 8.7-mile trail to reach it (but you’ll pass Lamoille Lake on the way, so you may as well cross two beautiful lakes off of this list at once).
- Washoe Lake
Caddie Dufurrena via Only In Nevada Washoe Lake is located between Reno and Carson City, and is quite shallow, with a maximum depth of only 12 feet! Due to its shallow depth, recreational activities are limited to fishing, paddleboarding, kiteboarding, camping, hiking, and more. But what most draws visitors to this little lake, perhaps, are the sweeping vistas of the Virginia, Carson, and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges.
- Spooner Lake
Caddie Dufurrena via Only In Nevada This beautiful oasis is Spooner Lake, a scenic reservoir within Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. It’s been quoted by visitors as being a paradise for fishing, boating, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, cross-country skiing during the winter months, and simply drinking in the beauty of nature.
- Angel Lake
Kaela Domin via Only In Nevada Located within the East Humboldt Range in northeastern Nevada, Angel Lake is as picturesque as they come. This tranquil lake sits at an elevation of nearly 8,400 feet and is accessible via the paved Angel Lake Road (be aware that this road does close in the winter). You won’t regret camping for a few nights at the highly-rated Angel Lake Campground that sits adjacent to this beautiful lake.
- Stella Lake
m-kojot / iStock / Getty Images Plus Last but not least on our list of beautiful Nevada lakes is the lovely Stella Lake. Located within Great Basin National Park at an elevation of 10,400 feet, this stunning alpine lake is accessible via the moderately-challenging 2.1-mile Stella Lake Trail. The lake offers one of the most iconic natural vistas in Nevada.
Which among these lakes do you think is the most beautiful lake in Nevada? Did we leave a lake off that you think should be on this list? Let us know in the comments below!
Moira Smith via Only In Your State
Located within the beautiful Ruby Mountains in Elko County at 9,747 feet in elevation, Lamoille Lake offers a restful reprieve from hot summer days at lower elevations. This pristine glacier-carved lake almost seems out of place in the driest state in the country, but it is a gem truly worth visiting.
jmoor17 / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Lahontan Reservoir is located within the Lahontan State Recreation Area in northwestern Nevada. This lake is extremely popular for recreational activities such as fishing, boating, paddleboarding, swimming, and water skiing. On the fringes of the lake, you’ll also find plenty of trails for hiking and horseback riding and campgrounds if you’d like to stay a while and enjoy the beautiful scenery.
Tim Lenz / Flickr
Lake Mead is the largest man-made reservoir in the US and one of the largest constructed lakes in the world. Located east of Las Vegas on Nevada’s southern border with Arizona, this lake offers spectacular scenery and plenty of recreational activities such as boating, kayaking, swimming, fishing, hiking, and more.
Scott Kreth via Only In Nevada
As picturesque as can be, Pyramid Lake is one of the largest natural lakes in Nevada. It is also the largest remaining lake from Lake Lahontan, which used to cover most of Nevada’s land surface until about 9,000 years ago. It has unique geologic features, such as these tufa (limestone) formations after which the lake is named.
Jim DesRoches via Only In Nevada
This list would not be complete without including the well-known and loved Lake Tahoe. Not only is this lake beautiful, as portrayed in this image of Secret Cove, but this lake is also widely sought after for its recreation: water skiing, boating, paddleboarding, jet skiing, fishing, and hiking are just some of the many activities that make this lake truly one-of-a-kind.
Jeff Sullivan / Flickr
Straddling Nevada’s western border with California is the breathtaking Topaz Lake. It is just as scenic and wonderful as Lake Tahoe, but smaller and less populated with recreational visitors. This is the perfect option if you’re hoping to be more removed from the crowds while soaking in the beauty of your surroundings.
Beau Rogers / Flickr
Liberty Lake is another glacially carved lake within the Ruby Mountains Wilderness. Situated at an elevation of 10,039 feet, you’ll have to hike a challenging 8.7-mile trail to reach it (but you’ll pass Lamoille Lake on the way, so you may as well cross two beautiful lakes off of this list at once).
Caddie Dufurrena via Only In Nevada
Washoe Lake is located between Reno and Carson City, and is quite shallow, with a maximum depth of only 12 feet! Due to its shallow depth, recreational activities are limited to fishing, paddleboarding, kiteboarding, camping, hiking, and more. But what most draws visitors to this little lake, perhaps, are the sweeping vistas of the Virginia, Carson, and Sierra Nevada mountain ranges.
This beautiful oasis is Spooner Lake, a scenic reservoir within Lake Tahoe Nevada State Park. It’s been quoted by visitors as being a paradise for fishing, boating, hiking, horseback riding, mountain biking, cross-country skiing during the winter months, and simply drinking in the beauty of nature.
Kaela Domin via Only In Nevada
Located within the East Humboldt Range in northeastern Nevada, Angel Lake is as picturesque as they come. This tranquil lake sits at an elevation of nearly 8,400 feet and is accessible via the paved Angel Lake Road (be aware that this road does close in the winter). You won’t regret camping for a few nights at the highly-rated Angel Lake Campground that sits adjacent to this beautiful lake.
m-kojot / iStock / Getty Images Plus
Last but not least on our list of beautiful Nevada lakes is the lovely Stella Lake. Located within Great Basin National Park at an elevation of 10,400 feet, this stunning alpine lake is accessible via the moderately-challenging 2.1-mile Stella Lake Trail. The lake offers one of the most iconic natural vistas in Nevada.
And while you’re at it, please join our Nevada Nature Lovers Facebook group to see more amazing photographs of Nevada or to share your own! For more lake inspiration, check out these 10 gorgeous lakes in Nevada.
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