This Gorgeous Lake Was Just Named the Best Hidden Gem in the U.S.

Everyone’s on the hunt for the next hidden gem. And according to Tripadvisor reviewers, the next big thing is hiding in the Pacific Northwest. 

In July, Places to Travel dropped its new study that aimed to uncover all the coolest hidden gems that are gaining traction around the United States. To find them, the team analyzed TripAdvisor’s “hidden gems” lists in every state to compile more than 2,700 U.S. destinations. Then, it narrowed destinations to those with 100 to 1,000 reviews and a rating of at least four stars. It cross-referenced this list with search volume data using the Google Keyword Planner to uncover which places had the highest number of average Google searches per month. The team added the caveat that while “some locations may be known, especially to locals, the hidden gems on this list relate more to less-visited tourist spots.” 

After looking at all the information, the team named Crater Lake in Oregon the most popular hidden gem destination of the summer, with an average of over 182,100 monthly searches on Google. It added that Crater Lake also has more than 500 Tripadvisor reviews and a 5-star rating. 

“The scenic blue lake is in the state’s southwestern region and was formed approximately 7,700 years ago,” the findings noted. “Globally, the lake is the tenth deepest in the world and claims the top for depth in the U.S. There is plenty to do around the lake, including hikes, fishing, and even skiing.” 

Following closely behind Crater Lake is another water-centric stop, Havasu Falls in Arizona, which took second place thanks to its more than 147,800 monthly searches and 4.5 average star rating on Tripadvisor. As the team added, 429 out of 539 reviews rate the destination as “excellent.” 

Joining these spots at the top of the list is Roosevelt Island in New York City in third with 199,500 monthly searches, followed by California’s Pinnacles National Park in fourth with 92,200 average monthly searches, and Morton Arboretum in Illinois rounding out the top five with 88,000 monthly searches. Detroit’s Eastern Market comes in sixth, followed by Discovery Park in Seattle, Descanso Gardens in California, Fall Creek Falls in Tennessee, and Cuyahoga Valley National Park in Ohio at the No. 10 spot, proving there are hidden gems sprinkled all over the nation just waiting for to explore.