"BEST" Lakes in the West

[91nordic29]

are beautiful!
i was raised near lake chickamauga lake and the TN river and there were days when you could ski all day and see only one other boat. used to be that you only needed a driver and a skier and if the skier wanted to "drop a ski" you could. would still be in the same spot when you came back for it. come to think of it, that is how i learned to slolam (back in the day) at havasu wearing my dad's bright orange rubber life belt thingy.

[NashvilleBound]

Our first summer there, after living in CA our whole lives, we were skiing and used our flag to signal "someone in the water". We actually had someone come accross the lake to see if we needed help. It was too funny....almost as funny as seeing my sister-in-law running on top of the water to get away from the 5' harmless water snake. Now that was funny...at least to me from inside the boat! Ah, the memories...can't wait to there full time.
And LaserRay...thats only the beginning of the list.....brotha

[91nordic29]

oh, yeah, i forgot. dont need a flag, ya'll! just thrown your arm up in the air!

[Kilrtoy]

Laer ,
you forgot about pregnant 12 year olds

[NashvilleBound]

Originally posted by Kilrtoy
Laer ,
you forgot about pregnant 12 year olds
Ah now...lets play nice

[Dr. Eagle]

I'm a Californian, so my list is limited to lakes I have boated on...
Shasta is a great place to take a Houseboat vacation.
bummer is that the lake drops so fast in the summer. Full in spring and down 60' by mid July.
Don Pedro, awesome lake...large w/enough facilities to fix most broken things. Lake drops pretty quick, but not as fast as Shasta.
Oroville is nice, big when full. Seems to generally be a bit on the low side lately.
Folsom, cuz it is 2 miles to the launch ramp for me. Pretty crowded in summer though, but no biggie for me... pull the boat out and come back later if it is too bad...
Second vote for Rollins Lake, small but cozy.
Tahoe once a year, unpredictable water conditions though. Because of the large surface size west side is usually better.
Havasu is awesome, like to make it once or twice a year because of the whole scene.
Mead is nice, but dangerous. Wind comes up and it is like the friggin high seas. Been there and gotten the waves over the bow. Almost swamped the boat...
The Delta is a lot of fun, and lots to see and do. Only thing you have to get over is the smelly crappy dirty water. Other than that it is great!!! Very dangerous too because of all of the narrow channels and interstections. Lots of collissions out there...
There are beautiful lakes and waterways all over. Texas has some awesome lakes (went to a couple when visiting my son at Ft. Hood) and so do lots of other states. Just gotta get out there and USE them!!!

[Craig]

Couple of summers ago, we went back to see T's Dad in Buchanan, TN. NW corner of the state. We rented a pontoon boat and went out on Kentucky Lake on a beautiful June Saturday. The lake is beautiful, but we hardly saw any boats! Maybe we were just in the wrong place.

[hurleyr]

Thanks again for the great replys. Who would have thought there were so many cooooool lakes/waterways to visit on the West Coast. This is what I have thus far. Sorry if I missed any
1)Powell (best for houseboating)
2)Mojave (partying houseboating, or gambling if staying at Laughlin)
3)Havasu (partying, partying, partying, housboating & some family)
4)Mead (houseboating & gambling if in Vegas)
5)Tahoe (scenery & lake front houses)(negative cold water)
6) Shasta (some lake front houses & other activates)
7) Delta (great water skiing not much scenery)
8) Naciemento (small lake and up tite atmosphere)
9) Don Pedro (scenery, glassy water, no crowds, services)
10) Bass Lake (scenery and water front houses)
11) Pine Flat (??)
12) Berryessa ??
13) Oroville
14) Folsom (water level?)
15) Rollins Lake - small but beautiful
16) Clear Lake
17) Trinity Lake (scenery, less crowds/partying than Shasta)
18) Arizona Lakes?
19) Mammoth Pools?
20) Parker (partying, partying, partying)
CAS nice pics. It looks like you guys have had some great get togethers.

[hurleyr]

I've also heard good things about Folsom. We have friends that live near by that one also. Not sure about the "lake Nazisism". I know it can be a drag when you have too many rules beyond what is really necessary. That's why I labeled Naciemento as "up tite". I've had a few stupid arguments with the local "wantabe a real cops" security at Heritage Ranch. My buddy owns a place up there and we had the misfortune of staying at their place for a weekend this last summer. Can't park trailer or car anywhere on the site were a tire is on the road way. Try that on a busy weekend. Oh ya, this one will really encourage investment in Heritage Ranch they write tickets to the property owners when a one of their visitors violates established rules. Can't show up fifteen minutes earlier than check in or pay an extra day (by the way it cost more for me to stay with my buddy at his place than to rent a campground down the road). If your not a property owner you have to hike about a mile from the ramp to your "approved parking" area. In my opinion this one is a scam to force people who don't realize their are better lakes out there to buy property at Naciemento, ie Heritage Ranch.
By the way Duane, Ole Buddy Ole Pal, if your reading this post we had a great time visiting you guys last summer. Just didn't like all the rules.
Hey maybe we should change this thread to start venting on the worst lakes in the West. Toooooo many rules and Nazi rent a cops.
Is it Spring time yet?

[NashvilleBound]

Originally posted by Craig
Couple of summers ago, we went back to see T's Dad in Buchanan, TN. NW corner of the state. We rented a pontoon boat and went out on Kentucky Lake on a beautiful June Saturday. The lake is beautiful, but we hardly saw any boats! Maybe we were just in the wrong place.
On the flip side...How big were those swells at Mohave???
Sometimes its nice to have calm
water!