But given the heat waves, you’ll likely be looking for an escape from the state’s dry-out-your-nostrils heat. With all the nearby national parks and out-of-this-world hikes, you’ll probably want to be in Utah for your next vacation anyway. Lake Powell is Utah’s kayaking, boating, swimming, and all-around-incredible-cliff-views playground. And if you thought lake town and didn’t think desert, prepare to be wonderfully wrong. If you think the deserts of Utah are trippy, wait till you see all that colossal red and orange rock emerging from a blue body of water.

Turns out water and deserts go together in Lake Powell. Just heaven on calm waters ready for a weekend getaway. Here are 22 of our favorite towns for a lakeside getaway. They're the stuff of vacation dreams: idyllic little slices of fudge-fueled paradise where everybody from pontoon-bound revelers to quiet beachcombers find common ground on the sand. There are some 125,000 of them in the country, from tranquil inland oases to boat-packed party destinations and freshwater seas.Īlong these bodies of water, you'll find the kind of lake towns that have all but single handedly rendered the word 'quaint' a cliché. Plus, for the majority of the country, the ocean isn't even an option. And seaside towns can be expensive as hell. We adore the dreamy coast of the Pacific Northwest and the sand-covered madness of Miami, San Diego, and LA. We love lobster right out of the ocean in the Northeast and boat parties in the Florida Keys.

Fishing planet kayak lakes