Lakes Worth the Drive

Lake Tawakoni

Lake Tawakoni is the East Texas sleeper hit, a 37,879-acre sprawl of water just 48 miles east of Dallas. It's a paradise for anyone in search of a shoreline without a scene: quiet, generous, and big enough to lose yourself for the day.

Possum Kingdom Lake

Possum Kingdom Lake (P.K. if you’re in the know) is the kind of place that earns a nickname and a mythology. Set among the cedar-dotted canyons of Palo Pinto County on the Brazos River, its 17,000 acres of jewel-toned water are framed by limestone bluffs that photograph like someone dreamed them up. (photo @brazoswater)

Canyon Lake

Canyon Lake is the Hill Country's great blue miracle: a deep, spring-fed reservoir tucked into the canyons of the Guadalupe River, about sixteen miles northwest of New Braunfels. The water here runs a clear, almost unreasonable turquoise.

Lady Bird Lake

Lady Bird Lake, still lovingly called “Town Lake” by anyone who's lived in Austin long enough to remember, isn't a lake for swimming, but it's every bit a lake for living. Formed in 1960 as a cooling pond for a since-retired power plant, its 416 shimmering acres now host kayakers, paddleboarders, and the famous hike-and-bike trail that ribbons along its banks.