Fave lakes in OH/MI/PA/IN/KY ... (maybe TN/IL)

[adamncincy]

What are your favorite lakes in these states? Clearest, cleanest water (I know Torch Lake holds the crown here, lol but any others)? Size of lake, etc. Also, what about off Lake Erie & Lake Michigan?

Thank you in advance!

 

[2kwik4u]

I'm a life long KY boater. How far do you want to drive from Cincy?

Dale Hollow has amazingly clear water. It and Cumberland are exceptionally large lakes IMO, but small by others comparisons. Wife and I love Green River Lake in KY. It's a good "right sized" lake. Large enough to get away from crowds, but not overly ginormous for smaller boats. We used to be a ton of time there, but haven't in recent years due to proximity and small kids not travelling quite as easily.

Have family with places on Rough River Lake and Nolin. Don't like either of them as bodies of water though, and only go to be near family. They're exceptionally long and "skinny" lakes that just don't do well for us.

We've spent a good deal of time on Patoka in Indiana the last few years. It's a decently sized lake, but it mostly open and shallow so the waves kick up in the afternoon or when it's breezy. Again, mostly followed friends and family here, as well as it's the closest lake to the house.

 

[adamncincy]

@2kwik4u thanks for the replies! Cumberland is great ... spent a lot of time there. I'd say anywhere from 1-4 hour drive.

 

[adamncincy]

@2kwik4u man, I just looked up all the lakes you mentioned and all look gorgeous! Thank you! All also looked between 2.5-4 aways ... awesome.

 

[Scott]

I'm also a life long KY boater. Ditto on everything @2kwik4u said. Green River Lake and Patoka are my favorites.

 

[2kwik4u]

Here's a few other adventures we've had:

Douglas Lake TN. This lake was great for a weeks vacation. Really close to Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge for the kids on a rainy day, or day away from the water. Giant and DEEP lake with good clear water, although a little cold. We had 2 families in a single cabin with 2 boats. Was a great time for the week!

Cumberland River/Nashville/Old Hickory Lake. Wife and I put the boat on Old Hickory in the morning. Locked through to the Cumberland river, cruised down to Nashville for the day, then cruised back up river and locked back through. Was a great time. It looks like there is plenty to do on Old Hickory if you wanted to make a weekend out of it, and only spend one day on the down/back trip to Nashville. Pretty cool adventure if you can make it happen.

I've heard that Lake Monroe up near Bloomington, IN is beautiful, but haven't been yet. It's on our list for this year to check out. Likewise I've also hear that Laurel Lake in SE KY is amazing. Again, never been, but it's on the list. We also do "date night" on the Ohio River a few times a year. It's a good Friday night activity to break up the monotony of the week. We live in Georgetown, IN, so it's less than 10 miles from the house to the ramp, and there are a few places to get food and drinks on the water. We'll put in, cruise up and look at the bridges then get some food, then cruise around some more. I would suggest finding a similar setup in Cincy if you can. It really is a great way to get some boat time during the week.

 

[adamncincy]

@Scott + @2kwik4u ... if you had 3 kids, 13 yr. old daughter, 11 yr. old son and a 2 yr. old daughter and are looking to get away for 2-4 nights, cabin or cottage on the lake (via Airbnb or VRBO w/firepit & grill) and want to keep your boat docked and in the water, the whole time ... think, wake up, eat and walk out on the boat slip, which lake would you recommend? Tubing and wakeboarding will be had.

I know some lakes are better than others for actual "on-lake" cabins. 1-5.5 hours away from Cincy.

 

[2kwik4u]

@Scott + @2kwik4u ... if you had 3 kids, 13 yr. old daughter, 11 yr. old son and a 2 yr. old daughter and are looking to get away for 2-4 nights, cabin or cottage on the lake (via Airbnb or VRBO w/firepit & grill) and want to keep your boat docked and in the water, the whole time ... think, wake up, eat and walk out on the boat slip, which lake would you recommend? Tubing and wakeboarding will be had.

I know some lakes are better than others for actual "on-lake" cabins. 1-5.5 hours away from Cincy.

not going to find that many places on KY lakes. Most of the lakes are owned by the corps of engineers and don't have "active" properties on them. Same with a good number of the IN lakes. Might find some properties on Rough River Lake or Nolin that have a dock and are on AirBnB.

Patoka and Green both have "floating houses" at one of the marinas that you can rent. Pretty close to what you're looking for.
Floating Cabins — Patoka Lake Marina & Lodging <--2.5hr drive from downtown Cincy
Floating Cabins – Green River Marina <--3hr drive from downtown Cincy

When we did the family vacation, we just searched the local area around Douglas Lake for houses with the capacity we needed, then singled them out based on access to a dock. The house we rented had a private ramp and small dock for the boats. Worked REALLY well for a week trip, but not sure I would drive down there (~6.5hrs from Louisville) for a weekend.

This is what where we rented on Douglas Lake in TN. Finding something like these will be somewhat difficult in the top half of KY in my opinion.