Pristine Paradise! Upstate New York Lake Crowned Cleanest in the Nation

New York is home to more than 7,600 lakes, ponds, and reservoirs. One of those lakes has the distinction of being the cleanest in the country.

Where is this pristine paradise? In Upstate New York.

Lake George

Lake George is known as the “Queen of American Lakes.” It's 32 miles long and 187 feet deep and is considered one of the country’s most beautiful and cleanest lakes.

The lake was originally named the Andia-ta-roc-te by local Native Americans. It wasn't until 1755, that it was renamed Lake George for King George II.

Read More: Lake George Among Best Beaches in the Country

It's home to over 170 islands, 148 of them state-owned, and is distinguished by "The Narrows", an island-filled narrow section bordered by the Tongue Mountain Range and Black Mountain.

Hot Spot for Rich & Famous

The area was a hot spot for the rich and famous. The Roosevelt, van Rensselaer, Vanderbilt, Rockefeller, and Whitney families often visited its shores. It was also a common spot sought out by well-known artists, including Martin Johnson Heade, John F. Kensett, E. Charlton Fortune, Frank Vincent DuMond, and Georgia O'Keeffe.

Read More: Upstate New York Home to One of Bluest Lakes in the Country

Thomas Jefferson even spent time in Lake George and described it as the most beautiful water he ever saw in a letter he wrote to his daughter on May 31, 1791.

"Lake George is without comparison, the most beautiful water I ever saw; formed by a contour of mountains into a basin... finely interspersed with islands, its water limpid as crystal, and the mountain sides covered with rich groves... down to the water-edge: here and there precipices of rock to checker the scene and save it from monotony."

Tourist Destination

Today, the Upstate New York town and lake attract tens of thousands of tourists to the southern Adirondack State Park each summer. The area generates about $2 billion in tourist dollars every year.

In an effort to bring more tourists to the area in the colder months, a new Winter Realms destination is coming. It replaces the Ice Castles that Mother Nature hasn't been too kind to in the last several years.

Read More: Winter Realms Coming to Lake George

Whether traveling to Lake George for the beaches and camping in the summer or snowmobiling and ice fishing in the winter, the area has a lot to offer in any season, including the cleanest lake in the country.

See all 10 of the Cleanest Lakes in the Country at A-Z-Animals.com.