Panorama of the Tatra mountains above Morskie Oko. Alamy
The Hidden Gem // Morskie Oko
Straddling the border between Poland and Slovakia, the Tatra mountains mark the highest point of the Carpathian mountain range and are pockmarked with crisp alpine lakes. The loveliest is also the largest, Morskie Oko, which sits at the bottom of a blue-green valley on the Polish side. Icy in winter, summer sees herds of chamois eating the delicate flora that sprouts along its banks. Crumbling mountain huts, including one that once belonged to Polish explorer Stanislaw Staszic, overlook the lake from the slopes of Mount Rysy and are a starting point for hikers.
Lake Powell at sunset. Getty Images
The American Beauty // Lake Powell
Surrounded by red rock mesas and towering ocher escarpments, Arizona's Lake Powell is almost ridiculously striking—its deep-blue water at odds with the desert sand and sun-blasted cactuses that surround it. The man-made lake is home to an abundance of wildlife, with plenty of game fish lurking beneath the surface. But the real draw is the stark landscape that surrounds it, including Antelope Canyon in the nearby Lake Powell Navajo Tribal Park and the many marinas where you can hire speedboats and cruise the lake in style.
Rhinos and flamingos at Lake Nakuru. Alamy
The Bird Lover's Paradise // Lake Nakuru
Lake Nakuru, or "the dusty place" as it is known to the local Maasai, is one of five soda (high in alkaline and salt) lakes dotted along Kenya's Rift Valley. A splash of fuchsia surrounded by yellowing savanna, Nakuru is famous for its bird life—from flamingos that number in the millions to endangered black terns and vast flocks of pelicans, cormorants and grebes. On shore, expect to encounter a black rhino or two, as well as warthogs, baboons, zebra and elephants.
Lake Lucerne Alamy
The Classic // Lake Lucerne
Switzerland has no shortage of beautiful lakes, but Lake Lucerne is arguably its most stunning, with waters almost Caribbean in color—the result of torrents of glacial water dripping off the surrounding mountains, including the towering Mount Pilatus, each spring. While Lucerne, with its ancient bridges and flower-filled terraces, is the main draw, Weggis is well worth visiting thanks to its quaint promenade and a cog railway that clatters up to the village of Rigi Kaltbad for a spectacular view of the lake.
Holiday cottage at Lake Saimaa. Günter Gräfenhain/4Corners
The Bolt-Hole // Lake Saimaa
A sprawling network of islets, channels and islands, Lake Saimaa is just an hour's drive from Helsinki but feels a world away. Its forested banks are dotted with mokki—rustic wooden cabins—while the lake itself is packed with trout, with many ending up on picnickers' barbecues. Although Saimaa is beautiful year round, it really comes into its own during summer when long evenings and temperatures in the high 20s bring families flocking to its shores to forage for wild blueberries and swim in the fresh (and surprisingly warm) water.
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Alan: I grew up a klick from Lake Ontario's Windsor Beach shoreline in Irondequoit, New York, and spent every summer weekend on the shore of Honeoye Lake, one of the "minor" finger lakes in upstate New York. These great lakes also deserve mention.
Chimney Rock, Lake Ontario
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Honeoye Lake
The mountain on the right is where the first of these two Honeoye photos was taken.
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