I am in the US midwest and I want to swim in CLEAR water!
June 6, 2020 6:07 AM Subscribe
Help me find a lake, river, or swimming hole in the US midwest with the clearest possible water. Minnesota, Missouri, and Illinois are fair game. I live in Iowa, but I already know there is no clear water here.
I grew up in California near South Lake Tahoe. Swimming in clear lakes and rivers is my favorite activity. I am looking for the clearest swimming holes in the midwest. I'm willing to drive 5-6 hours to get to them. I live in central Iowa so Minnesota and Missouri and Illinois are all fair game.
Clear, clear, clear - it's all about the water being clear. Cold is best, but not necessary. Bonus for rocks or cliffs or anything else awesome, but mostly I want to swim all day in very clear water. I'm going somewhere in about 10 days. Help me figure out where to go.
(I know it's not going to be like the lakes in Desolation Wilderness outside of Tahoe - but just guide me to the clearest possible water in this part of the country)
Thanks!
I grew up in California near South Lake Tahoe. Swimming in clear lakes and rivers is my favorite activity. I am looking for the clearest swimming holes in the midwest. I'm willing to drive 5-6 hours to get to them. I live in central Iowa so Minnesota and Missouri and Illinois are all fair game.
Clear, clear, clear - it's all about the water being clear. Cold is best, but not necessary. Bonus for rocks or cliffs or anything else awesome, but mostly I want to swim all day in very clear water. I'm going somewhere in about 10 days. Help me figure out where to go.
(I know it's not going to be like the lakes in Desolation Wilderness outside of Tahoe - but just guide me to the clearest possible water in this part of the country)
Thanks!
Boundary Waters Canoe Area in northern Minnesota. Loads of clear lakes, and the terrain is basically solid granite with conifers growing in the patches of soil that cling to the granite.
posted by bricoleur at 6:48 AM on June 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
posted by bricoleur at 6:48 AM on June 6, 2020 [5 favorites]
Best answer: How about a great lake? Drive past Chicago to Indiana Dunes National Park, then work your way up.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:19 AM on June 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:19 AM on June 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
There's a direct connection between rocky landscapes and clear water. Agriculture runoff (both direct sediment and high nitrogen / phosphorous from fertilizers), topsoil in general, and plains all lead to stagnant, cloudy water. Find an area with challenging hiking, and there's probably some clear water nearby.
posted by wnissen at 8:08 AM on June 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by wnissen at 8:08 AM on June 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Lake Okoboji in Iowa is spring-fed and is considered a "blue water lake" due to its clarity.
posted by AzraelBrown at 9:07 AM on June 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
posted by AzraelBrown at 9:07 AM on June 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
Best answer: You want clear? Does it have to be natural or is human-made okay? Because the clearest water I've ever seen in the midwest is that which fills old abandoned mine pits.
One of the best examples is Cuyuna Country in northern Minnesota. It is an old iron mine that has been returned to nature (filled with water) and turned into a canoe/kayak paradise. It is also one the best mountain biking places in the midwest. These mine pits can be hundreds of feet deep, and one of the lakes in the chain is the deepest in Minnesota. Although the surrounding land has been reclaimed by nature, the pits themselves are pretty devoid of algae and weeds and other usual lake stuff.
posted by Gray Duck at 9:59 AM on June 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
One of the best examples is Cuyuna Country in northern Minnesota. It is an old iron mine that has been returned to nature (filled with water) and turned into a canoe/kayak paradise. It is also one the best mountain biking places in the midwest. These mine pits can be hundreds of feet deep, and one of the lakes in the chain is the deepest in Minnesota. Although the surrounding land has been reclaimed by nature, the pits themselves are pretty devoid of algae and weeds and other usual lake stuff.
posted by Gray Duck at 9:59 AM on June 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
I don't have any specific examples, but northeast Iowa probably has some clear swimming holes. I know it has trout streams. It's part of what's called the Driftless Area, a teardrop-shaped area comprising parts of Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin, which was not flattened by glaciers when the rest of the upper Midwest was being pounded down into plains. Not much rowcrop agriculture because of the topography.
posted by bricoleur at 10:05 AM on June 6, 2020
posted by bricoleur at 10:05 AM on June 6, 2020
*gestures toward Lake Superior*
I'm not too familiar with the state parks located on Superior in MN, but Lake Superior is clear and very, very cold.*
* Like, system-shockingly cold in August, let alone mid-June.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:57 AM on June 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
I'm not too familiar with the state parks located on Superior in MN, but Lake Superior is clear and very, very cold.*
* Like, system-shockingly cold in August, let alone mid-June.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 10:57 AM on June 6, 2020 [3 favorites]
Lake Superior, by far. From your location, consider the Apostle Islands in northwestern Wisconsin.
posted by yclipse at 10:57 AM on June 6, 2020
posted by yclipse at 10:57 AM on June 6, 2020
Looks like more of a road trip than "a" lake, river, or swimming hole, but: 7 swimming spots in Missouri, 10 swimming holes in Missouri with the cleanest, most pristine water, 17 beautiful swimming spots in Missouri, 13 best swimming holes in the Ozarks.
posted by flug at 1:37 PM on June 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
posted by flug at 1:37 PM on June 6, 2020 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Lake Superior is clear but COLD even in the summer.
I can personally vouch for the clarity of Fish Trap Lake and Lake Shamineau in central Minnesota (Along US highway 10), but don't have recommendations on resorts in the area (quick Google says there are some on those lakes). Many of the lakes in that immediate area were very clear from what I can remember from fishing on them 20 years ago, but don't have public beaches.
Another one I remember being pretty clear 20+ years ago is Lake Carlos near Alexandria. There are more options for lodging around there.
Boundary Waters is another good suggestion, but might not be doable on short notice. (Wilderness, need to pack in & out everything, unwise to go alone unless very experienced, etc)
You could go check out Lake Itasca, the "official" headwaters of the Mississippi River. Its a state park and has a beach.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 5:36 PM on June 6, 2020
I can personally vouch for the clarity of Fish Trap Lake and Lake Shamineau in central Minnesota (Along US highway 10), but don't have recommendations on resorts in the area (quick Google says there are some on those lakes). Many of the lakes in that immediate area were very clear from what I can remember from fishing on them 20 years ago, but don't have public beaches.
Another one I remember being pretty clear 20+ years ago is Lake Carlos near Alexandria. There are more options for lodging around there.
Boundary Waters is another good suggestion, but might not be doable on short notice. (Wilderness, need to pack in & out everything, unwise to go alone unless very experienced, etc)
You could go check out Lake Itasca, the "official" headwaters of the Mississippi River. Its a state park and has a beach.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 5:36 PM on June 6, 2020
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