Sleep by the water

Camping & picnicking

20 lakes across 4 states are genuinely good for camping & picnicking — every one backed by real access & conditions data.

Plan a camping tripBrowse all 20 lakes

Every camping & picnicking lake in America

20 lakes light up the map — hover for the conditions, click a pin to open it or plan a trip. Switch to satellite and you can see the water.

fishing boating swimming paddling sailing wildlife camping more

The national records

Real superlatives — every number below is a sourced field on that lake's page.

Biggest water71,100 acresLake Strom Thurmond Most public ramps46 launchesLake Hartwell Clearest water16.4 ft visibilityPhilpott Lake

The best in the country

Ranked by sourced signals only — agency ramps, marinas, programs, measured water. The reason each lake ranks is printed on its card.

Lake Strom Thurmond#1
Lake Strom Thurmond
McCormick County, SC
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area
Lake Hartwell#2
Lake Hartwell
Anderson County, SC
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area
John H. Kerr Reservoir#3
John H. Kerr Reservoir
Vance County, NC
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area
Richard B. Russell Lake#4
Richard B. Russell Lake
Abbeville County, SC
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area
Old Hickory Lake#5
Old Hickory Lake
Sumner County, TN
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area
Lake Phelps#6
Lake Phelps
Washington County, NC
State park recreation area
Jordan Lake#7
Jordan Lake
Chatham County, NC
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area
Falls Lake#8
Falls Lake
Wake County, NC
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area
Lake Waccamaw#9
Lake Waccamaw
Columbus County, NC
State park recreation area
Philpott Lake#10
Philpott Lake
Franklin County, VA
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area
Lake Moomaw#11
Lake Moomaw
Alleghany County, VA
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area
W. Kerr Scott Reservoir#12
W. Kerr Scott Reservoir
Wilkes County, NC
U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recreation area

Make the day count

Book the water sites first

Lakeside loops go months out at popular parks — midweek is your friend.

Camp near your ramp

Pick a campground on your end of the lake — the planner's base feature sorts everything around it.

Strongest states for camping & picnicking

North Carolina12 lakesSouth Carolina4 lakesVirginia3 lakesTennessee1 lakes

Tell us what you're bringing — we'll plan the whole trip

Launches, drive time, where to eat and stay — from real data, never guessed.

Plan a trip