As a landlocked state, we Iowans don’t have access to any oceans, but that’s why we have lakes! Iowa has an abundance of beautiful, scenic lakes that are perfect for visiting on a hot summer day. So, here are 12 gorgeous lakes in Iowa that you MUST visit this summer.

1. Saylorville Lake near Des Moines.
Gordon Gaippe/Flickr
2. Okoboji Lake at Pikes Point State Park in Spirit Lake.
Don Miller/Flickr
3. Gray's Lake in Des Moines.
Phil Roeder/Flickr
4. Clear Lake in the city of Clear Lake.
dmblue444/Flickr
5. Coralville Lake near Coralville.
Rich Herrmann/Flickr
6. Big Spirit Lake in Spirit Lake.
vandenn/Flickr
7. Lake Red Rock in Marion County.
Bill Roehl/Flickr
8. Storm Lake near the city of Storm Lake.
Denise Krebs/Flickr
9. Briggs Woods Lake near Webster City.
Arriagci/Flickr
10. Five Island Lake near Emmetsburg.
David Morris/Flickr
11. Lake Ahquabi State Park near Indianola.
Kvhuegel/Wikimedia Commons
12. Lake near Lakeside Estates in Decorah, submitted by one of our Facebook friends.
Heather Iverson/Facebook

What do you guys think? Are there any more lakes that should be on this list? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!

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