Which Iowa and Minnesota Lakes Are Among the Clearest in Midwest?

Being in the middle of the country, we are deprived of the opportunity of seeing crystal clear ocean water on one of the coasts on a regular basis, but we have plenty of fantastic lakes in our area to satisfy our need to be at one with the water.

And of all the lakes to choose from in the Midwest, which offer the clearest water?

Recently, The Travel released their list of 10 Of The Clearest Lakes You Can See Right In The American Midwest, and one lake each from Minnesota and Iowa made the cut.

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8. Gull Lake, Minnesota

About ten miles northwest of Brainerd in Crow Wing and Cass Counties, this lake covers more than 9,000 acres.

It got its name from the common loon, also known as the 'gull' in early Minnesota history, which once populated the lake.

10. Lake Okoboji, Iowa

This spot in North Central Iowa is actually home to a trio of lakes - West Lake Okoboji, East Lake Okoboji, and Big Spirit Lake.

West Lake Okoboji is the most popular, covering nearly 4,000 acres and nearly 20 miles of shoreline.

One of the contributing factors to the pristine West Lake Okoboji water is its origins as a blue water lake formed by glacial movements. It is only one of three blue water lakes in the world.

It's hard to argue that The Travel got it right by including those two on their list, but you do need to take this list with a slight grain of salt. Right there on their rundown of the clearest Midwest lakes are Lake Tahoe, California, and Crater Lake, Oregon.

That says that while the folks at The Travel might know their water, reading a map is a whole other story.

CLEAREST LAKES IN THE AMERICAN MIDWEST (TheTravel.com)

Lake Michigan, Wisconsin-Illinois-Indiana-Michigan
Torch Lake, Michigan
Lake Tahoe, California
Devils Lake, Wisconsin
Green Lake, Wisconsin
Lake Of The Ozarks, Missouri
Lake Erie, New York-Pennsylvania-Ohio-Michigan-Ontario, Canada
Gull Lake, Minnesota
Crater Lake, Oregon
Lake Okoboji, Iowa

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[WARNING: Under no circumstances should you enter private or abandoned property. By doing so you risk bodily harm and/or prosecution for trespassing.]