Lake Tahoe. Just beautiful, especially in Sept and Oct, when the crowds have gone, and it is quiet

Fairhope! And you live on the beautiful Gulf of Mexico?

Just kidding..

Starrsville,

More mmemories of Grandmothers..during my childhood, my grandmother had a little house on Perdido Bay, just off Gulf Shores.

Just as you can see your grandmother fishing, I can see mine sitting at her kitchen table cleaning crabs to go in the best gumnbo ever.

My cousins and I loved rowing boats in the bay, escorted by the porpoises (now everybody calls them dolphins). When we lost an oar (frequently) we just jumped into the water and the porpoises played all around us.

They were having as much fun as we were!

I guess we anticipated the "swin with the dolphins" programs by many years.

Byrd

Tenaya Lake in the high country of Yosemite National Park. There is nothing like paddling around in a canoe gazing up at the white, gleaming mountain peaks and the blue, blue sky.

Moorea, Tahiti
French Polynesia
Stunning!

Salmon Lake in the Lakes Basin area of California.

Anywhere in the Caribbean, of course, but closer to home - Lake Michigan & Abiquiu Lake in New Mexico.

Lake Michigan is only 20 minutes from where I live and the beaches have nice, soft sand. Not to mention, the towns along the lake have a lot to offer too.

I think Abiquiu Lake is man-made, but the mountains surrounding it make you forget all about that.

Atlantic Ocean: South Florida(Ft. Lauderdale/West Palm) & Nova Scotia(the sunrise/the beach)

Lake of Bays, Ontario(the haunting call of the loon late @ night, the way the water catches the rays of the sun around 5:00PM & it sparkles; it glitters...the light dances on the water.......all is quiet...& the sunsets....spectacular sunsets)

Big Fish Lake, Marcellus MI. Its complex and wetlands area is my second home. It's heaven to me, and I like it in winter as well.

There are no sharks, and I CAN swim it, on a good and energetic day. The only thing that I might want to avoid is a snapping turtle or two, but I can see them- they don't hide.

I love its white caps when the wind and weather is up. I love when the sunset makes it look like reflecting glass with star sparkles. I love when it look like a mirror at dawn. I love it period. And I want to protect its spring-fed goodness from farm fertilizers etc. as much as I can. And to keep it just as it is with many species of fish and fowl as its home.

And I want the 1000s of acres of wetlands on the other side to stay uninhabited by humans. To visit yes, to live there no.

Lake Tahoe has striking color and it is GREAT for fishing. It is NOT good for swimming. Glacial lakes are not swimming lakes. Even on the hottest days of summer, you can only spend very short periods of time in Lake Tahoe water. I tried, I know.

You can do water sports on my lake as well, and its far from the popular places, so you do them in peace and with considerable safety- not in crowds.

I wouldn't trade Lake Michigan for my 40 foot deep little 600 acre brother. Lakes Michigan & Superior are more dangerous than the ocean.

The Mediterranean along the Côte d'Azur in Provence...beautiful, beautiful sea. Azure, of course. It's even better than the Pacific off the Hawaiian Islands.

Lake Superior. (the name says it all!!)

Gulf of Mexico. Beautiful, warm, white sand beaches, fabulous hotels. Almost anywhere along the gulf is stunning.

Lake Martin, AL because we have a house there and it is our lazy lake getaway.

The Pacific Ocean at Corona Del Mar (that's where I live) and Lake Superior (that's where I grew up). Two beautiful spots. Think I like the gorgeous scenery the most along Lake Superior. Beautiful!!

I love lakes, especially Lake Arthur at Moraine State Park around the Butler, PA area. On a sunny day there are many bright colored sailboats around. I'd have to disagree with one of you Lake Arthur is a glacial lake and one of the very best to swim in.

Second would be Lake Erie, especially on the Dunkirk/Fredonia, NY coast. With the green of the vineyards in contrast to the deep blue of the lake it is a really beautiful place. The added bonus with northern lakes is that they have cooler water temps and the wind blows off that water so it remains cooler than average than say where I live in SW PA.

Lake Louise, Alberta, Canada...the most gorgeous color of icy blue...

I tried to swim Lake Tahoe on a very warm July day and I lasted about 15 minutes. I did see a little girl who braved it as well, but she was out in about 10.

A group of fishermen in a large bass boat really were kidding me. They yelled out, "Good for fishing, bad for swimming." And when they picked me up they told me their water sports were done with wet suits if the immersion was more than 10 or 15 minutes.

They continually warned me on the way back that glacial lakes are cold and hypothermia is a constant danger with continued immersion. I have no idea about the other glacial lakes, but I learned my lesson at Tahoe. I was BLUE for about 20 to 30 minutes after I came out, and my lips were blue longer than that.

Esau's pond - a small, hidden away swimming spot, still used today by the youth where I grew up. Think shady, relaxed, w/a tire swing & bunches of fun-loving, innocent kids.

For color, it's pretty hard to beat the blue water near Malta in the Med. I purchased a perfume bottle from a glass shop in Valetta that has that gorgeous color, to help me remember it!

I have to agree with a much earlier post about the Cook Islands. Aitutaki and Rarotonga have the most gorgeous lagoons! The water must be about 12 different colors as it reaches the outer reefs. So clear, you can see to the bottom.

Higgin's Lake, Michigan. My family sold their house many years ago on the shore, but I have so many amazing memories of swimming, boating, fishing in the beautiful water. It's a sand bottom lake, and I swear the water is so clean you can drink it.

Also Squam Lake in NH - gorgeous.

My favorite lake would be Lake Ontario. A lot of why is sentimental. I grew up around it and still live near it. But the prettiest lake I've ever seen would be Green Lake right here in Central NY (Kirkville). It is the most beautiful color green that I have ever seen. It is also a NY State Park and quite a treasure if you ask me.
Annika
ps Thanks for asking :-)

Squam Lake in New Hampshire (where On Golden Pond was filmed)...