Nevada's Best Lakes and Waterfronts

Nevada's lakes are its most dramatic geographical surprises — desert state lakes of extraordinary beauty, from the ultra-saline Pyramid Lake to the crystal-clear alpine Lake Tahoe.

Lake Tahoe (Nevada East Shore)
The Nevada side of Lake Tahoe — Sand Harbor, Spooner Lake, and Incline Village — offers the clearest water in the lake and some of its finest beaches. Sand Harbor's white granite-boulder beaches and turquoise water are among the most beautiful freshwater beaches in the US. The Nevada Beach Campground near Stateline gives overnight access at the lake's south end. Tahoe's elevation (6,225 ft) and clarity (70+ feet Secchi depth) make it one of the defining mountain lake experiences in the country.

Pyramid Lake
A terminal lake on the Paiute Tribal Reservation north of Reno — ancient, hyper-saline (slightly), and hauntingly beautiful. The tufa formations (calcium carbonate rock formations) rising from the water, including the "Pyramid" that gives the lake its name, are geological relics of a much larger Pleistocene lake (ancient Lake Lahontan covered much of Nevada 12,000 years ago). The Lahontan cutthroat trout (once thought extinct but preserved in Pyramid Lake) are the world's largest cutthroat trout — 40+ pounds.

Walker Lake
A terminal lake in the Mineral County desert — one of the few natural alkaline lakes in Nevada accessible by highway (US-95). The water has become increasingly saline as the Walker River has been diverted upstream for irrigation, threatening the native cui-ui fish. The stark beauty of the lake against the Wassuk Range is remarkable; the camping and fishing access points make it a quiet desert lake destination.

Lake Mead National Recreation Area
Straddling Nevada and Arizona below Hoover Dam — the nation's largest reservoir (when full). Hoover Dam, built 1931–1936, is one of the engineering marvels of the 20th century. The dam's Art Deco design, the powerplant tour, and the Mike O'Callaghan–Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge (highest concrete arch bridge in the US) are must-sees.