One of the best lakes to visit in Raleigh is Lake Johnson. It is tranquil and relaxing with lots of shade and sunny spots.

Lake Johnson Park includes more than 300 acres of land surrounding the lake of 150+ acres. The lake/park provides boating, picnic areas, concessions, facility rentals, greenway pathways, and a wide range of classes, special events, and recreational possibilities for the whole family.

The eight kilometers of hiking paths in the park are available for those who would prefer to view the lake from the ground. Along the lake's shoreline, there are also picnic spaces, a fishing boardwalk, and a six-station fitness track. Fishing for largemouth bass, crappie, bream, catfish, and carp is excellent in the lake. Free entry; a fee is charged to launch a boat and use a facility. Check out this location if you yearn to be back near the lake or in the woods if you're looking to unwind or engage in some outdoor activity. Lake Johnson is one of the best lakes in Raleigh.

Location: 4601 Avent Ferry Road, Raleigh

Lake Wheeler, built in 1956 with assistance from the Army Corps of Engineers, was formerly Raleigh's secondary auxiliary water supply lake. Southwest Raleigh's Lake Wheeler Park can be found at 6404 Lake Wheeler Rd. The 650 acre lake is seen to the south as you enter the park. There are various places along the main road where you may stop and fish or pause for a picnic as you meander through the park. As you proceed, you will pass through expansive open fields with sizable shelter spaces before reaching the sizable parking area close to the boat house.

Lake with kayaking, canoeing, sailing, and other water sports are available. A modest meeting room, programs, classes, snacks, and more are available at the Waterfront Program Center. Additionally offered are picnic areas and sand volleyball courts. Every year, there are numerous spectacular events.

The lake is a component of Lake Wheeler Park, which also has a conference room, a sand volleyball court, a playground, and picnic shelters. The lake and the park are both open all year long, although from October to April they are both closed on Mondays. While you are out enjoying the park, you can get a drink or grab a snack at the little concession shop at Lake Wheeler.

Location: 6404 Lake Wheeler Rd, Raleigh

In Raleigh, North Carolina, there is a man-made lake named Lake Lynn. In order to reduce flooding, Hare Snipe Creek, a tributary of Crabtree Creek, was dammed in 1976. The lake, which is totally contained within Raleigh's 75-acre (30-hectare) Lake Lynn Park, has a surface size of 55.7 acres (22.5 ha). The park features a community center, playground, tennis courts, and a 2.8-mile (4.5-kilometer) paved trail that circles the lake and is a part of the Capital Area Greenway system.

The aquatic wildlife of Lake Lynn includes common lake fish species found in North Carolina. Turtles are frequently spotted in the lake's shallower areas, and on sunny days, it's not unusual to see them emerge from the water. Around this miniature habitat, snakes and birds are also frequently spotted.

Playgrounds, tennis courts, bocce ball courts, a youth baseball field, and even a batting cage are located in the park as well. A community center and a sizable picnic shelter are also there. Lake Lynn is one of the best lakes in Raleigh.

Location: 7921 Ray Road, Raleigh

In the North Carolina counties of Durham, Wake, and Granville is the 12,410-acre (50 km2) reservoir known as Falls Lake. Falls Lake stretches 45 kilometers (28 miles) up the Neuse River to where it originates at the meeting of the Flat, Little, and Eno rivers. The lake serves as a recreation area, a wildlife habitat, and a source of drinking water for many of the nearby areas, including the city of Raleigh. It also helps with flood management.

The Army Corps of Engineers finished building a dam on the Neuse River in 1981, resulting in the creation of the reservoir known as Falls Lake. The lake was created as a source of water for the surrounding area, to reduce flooding, and to assist maintain the quality of the water downstream of the lake during dry periods. The lake also provided recreational options for the locals of the area, which was a bonus. There are chances for boating, fishing, swimming, picnics, camping, hiking, and riding at seven different locations surrounding the lake. The area surrounding the lake was also designated as a wildlife refuge, totaling about 13,600 acres.

Location: 13304 Creedmoor Road, Wake Forest, Raleigh

William B. Umstead State Park is a state park in Wake County, North Carolina. It spans 5,599 acres and is tucked between Raleigh, Cary, and Durham, three rapidly growing North Carolina cities. There are routes for riding horses and bikes, boat rentals, camping, picnic sites, and educational activities available. The park is traversed by a section of the 3,000-mile East Coast Greenway, a network of pathways that connects Maine and Florida.

This vast park contains not one, but three artificial lakes, the largest of which is Big Lake. You can rent a canoe or a kayak here and navigate the lake that way. All three of the park's lakes are available for fishing, but swimming is not permitted in any of them. All of the lakes have camping areas nearby, while Sycamore Lake's shoreline is lined with cabins.

In addition to the lakes, William B. Umstead State Park has 35 kilometers of designated hiking paths, making hiking one of the most popular activities there. 21 kilometers of multipurpose pathways are also available in the park for equestrian riding and cycling.

Location: 8801 Glenwood Avenue, Raleigh

Shelley Lake, a 53-acre lake surrounded by two miles of paved greenway and parkland, is situated roughly on the border between Midtown and North Raleigh. A variety of recreational activities are available at Shelley Lake, including playing soccer on the open fields, fishing, biking, running, and walking on the greenway paths, boating, and workout stations along the greenway. A favorite family activity is feeding the ducks and geese that congregate beneath the greenway path bridge on the west side of the lake.

The greenway pathways provide convenient access to the lake for locals living in Northcliff, Ridgeloch, Briarwood North, Chestnut Hills, and the northern portions of North Hills. The Mine Creek Trail links Shelley Lake to the neighborhoods to the north and the Crabtree Creek Trail to the south. Optimist Park, Sanderson High School, and Shelley Lake are all connected via the Snelling Branch Trail. Others who visit take advantage of the plentiful parking on Millbrook and at the Sertoma Art Center. Shelley Lake is one of the best lakes in Raleigh.

Location: 1400 West Millbrook Road, Raleigh

Jordan Lake can be found around 30 miles west of Raleigh, North Carolina. The United States Army Corps of Engineers dammed the Haw and New Hope Rivers to create B. Everett Jordan Lake. The primary source of recreation at the lake is Jordan Lake State Recreation Area, which is located around it. The lake not only offers leisure options but also serves as the region's primary water source.

There are numerous campsites available at Jordan Lake State Recreation Area. RV sites with total electricity and more rustic hike-in tent sites are generally. There are accessible and shared campsites available. Some of the campgrounds and recreational access places rent out picnic shelters. Water and power hookups, restrooms, showers, swimming beaches, picnic tables, fresh water, and dump stations are among the amenities found in most developed campsite areas.

One of the lake visitors' favorite pastimes in Jordan Lake is fishing. Every angler in North Carolina must possess a current fishing license. The lake has striped bass, largemouth bass, white perch, hybrids, sunfish, catfish, bluegill, and crappie among other fish species. The maximum size for bass is 16. There are several different bank fishing areas as well as boat fishing chances.

Location: 280 State Park Road, Apex, Raleigh

Lake Crabtree is a reservoir in Cary, Raleigh, North Carolina. In order to alleviate the possibility of flooding, it was constructed in 1989 by the Natural Resources Conservation Service via damming Crabtree Creek. It is currently within the Lake Crabtree County Park and provides sailing and recreation opportunities to nearby residents.

The park, which is situated alongside a 520-acre lake, features hiking, biking, and nature paths; boat rentals; two playgrounds; play fields; picnic areas; and programs for environmental education. The park also provides fishing opportunities for the physically challenged from a fishing pier and platform and by boat.

The Crabtree Creek greenway in Cary now consists of two distinct sections: the 0.3-mile Bond Park part and the 1.7-mile Crabtree Lake segment, which runs along the south shore of Lake Crabtree from Black Creek Greenway to Evans Road. Morrisville's section of the Crabtree Creek Greenway extends from the Crabtree Lake segment through Cedar Fork District Park, under NC 54 and a railroad crossing, connecting to Hatcher Creek Greenway and providing a continuous 4.5 miles of trail from Black Creek Greenway to Davis Drive. This section is located west of Evans Road.

Location: 1400 Aviation Parkway, Morrisville, Raleigh