Some of the best memories of my childhood were at lakes, mostly, in Central Montana.

My family, including cousins and aunts and uncles, would get together weekends at various lakes and reservoirs in the area for camping, fishing, swimming, and maybe have an adult beverage or 2. I was a child, so I could only have one or 2 over the weekend. (You think I'm kidding, but I'm not.)

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My favorite lake for swimming has to be Bynum reservoir. We'd go there quite often. In fact, if I remember correctly, Bynum was where I learned to swim. I learned to swim when my dad threw me and my brother over the side of the boat. Dog paddling comes pretty easy in that situation.

My favorite lake week of the summer would ALWAYS be when all the cousins and the family would head up to Lake McDonald for the week. It was so cool to camp near Apgar and ride bikes for an entire week on pavement.  Thing is, we didn't swim much there because the water is fairly cold year round.

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Reader's Digest Has Named Their Favorite Lakes In America For Swimming

There are only 26 lakes on this list, and sitting at the very tippy top is a wonderful lake situated in gorgeous Whitefish, Montana. Whitefish Lake.

Here's what Reader's Digest says about Whitefish Lake:

"Set at the base of the snow-capped Rockies in Northwestern Montana, sparkling Whitefish Lake is incredibly scenic. And whether you choose to join the crowd at City Beach in Whitefish (where you can also rent paddleboats) or take a solitary swim at Les Mason State Park, you won’t be entering a frigid zone: Whitefish Lake is shallow enough to warm up, making it one of the best lakes to swim in the U.S."

Source: Reader's Digest

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