Alabama’s Most Beautiful Lake

Alabama has no shortage of water-based activities, from the Gulf Coast to our beautiful lakes and rivers.

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The Encyclopedia of Alabama said, "Alabama is criss-crossed by 17 major river systems encompassing some 132,000 miles of channels. The state leads the nation in miles of navigable channels with 1,438 miles.”

“The Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division manages 23 Public Fishing Lakes (PFLs) in 20 counties throughout the State. These lakes range in size from 13 to 184 acres for a total of 1,912 surface acres,” said Outdoor Alabama.

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Prettiest Lake in Alabama, According to Reader’s Digest

Lake Martin

Curious to know what makes it so special? Let's take a closer look!

Lake Martin is located in east-central Alabama, about 2 hours and 15 minutes from Tuscaloosa and 1 hour and 30 minutes from Birmingham.

“When it was built in the 1920s, Lake Martin was the largest man-made body of water in the world; it stretches into three counties, covers a whopping 41,000 acres of water, and boasts 800 miles of wooded shoreline,” said Reader’s Digest.

Lake Martin Homeowners & Boat Owners Association said, “One of the largest artificial lakes in the United States, Lake Martin is a popular recreation destination for swimming, boating, fishing, water skiing, camping, and golfing. Many waterfront neighborhoods and luxury homes are located on Lake Martin.”

Luxurious Lake Tuscaloosa Home Boasts Breathtaking Views

Gallery Credit: Mary K

LOOK: These are the best lake towns to live in

Stacker examined data from personal finance website WalletHub to determine the best lake towns to live in across the U.S.

Gallery Credit: Stacker

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.