If your idea of a lake holiday means clean water, quiet shores and mountains on the horizon rather than jet skis and boardwalks, Lake Willoughby in northeast Vermont deserves a spot on your list. It's the deepest lake lying entirely within Vermont — around 308 feet at its lowest point — and it's widely considered one of the most beautiful lakes in the United States, often likened to Switzerland's Lake Lucerne.
The lake owes its shape to glaciers, which carved the basin roughly 12,000 years ago between two steep mountains, Mount Pisgah and Mount Hor. The result is a narrow, dramatic stretch of water about five miles long and a mile wide, covering roughly 1,653 acres with an average depth near 185 feet. Fed by glacial melt and springs, the water is remarkably clear — some of the cleanest in the state — which makes swimming here genuinely enjoyable. There's a public beach on the north end and, if that's your thing, a clothing-optional beach on the south end.
Robert Frost thought enough of the place to reference it in his 1915 poem "A Servant to Servants," and hikers today can earn their swim the same way generations of visitors have: via the Mount Pisgah or Mount Hor trails, both of which deliver sweeping views over the water before you plunge in. Mountain biking and paddling round out the options in warmer months.
Getting there is straightforward. Burlington International Airport is the closest gateway, just under two hours away by car, and rentals in Burlington run about $48 a day — worth a day or two in Vermont's largest city before heading north. Montréal's Pierre Elliott Trudeau airport is another practical option, roughly two hours and 20 minutes from the lake. Note that the Canadian border is only about half an hour away, so a two-country trip is easy to arrange.
Accommodation is relaxed and small-scale rather than resort-style. Mountain Lake Cottages offers two-bedroom waterfront cabins sleeping up to five from around $250 a night, while the WilloughVale Inn has basic rooms from about $155, suites from $200, and private cottages between $300 and $400. Vacation rentals, hotels and bed-and-breakfasts fill in the rest.
Timing matters here. Vermont winters are seriously cold, so if swimming is the point, aim for July or August, when average daily temperatures sit between 75 and 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Spring and fall bring lovely scenery but water that's best admired from the shore.
Why it works: Vermont is one of the least populated states in the US (around 645,000 people), and Willoughby sits in its quiet northeast corner — this is a lake for travellers who want space and scenery more than attractions and queues. Come for a hiking-and-swimming weekend, bring a car, and let the mountains do the rest.
