here are only five oceans in the world, but there are millions of lakes. They are big and small, round and oblong, highly developed and untouched, and surrounded by mountains, deserts, forests and cities. The options are limitless, and so are the vacation possibilities.

When choosing a lake, you can let nostalgia take the wheel or approach the task more pragmatically.

Stacey Barber, AAA’s vice president of travel services, said to start by outlining your priorities. Determine your top land and water activities and your preferred vibe.

“Are you looking for a family-friendly lake? Do you want to go on a fishing trip? Do you want a more lively scene or something more peaceful and scenic?” Barber said.

To further narrow the list, take into account the seasonality of the lake and, if you plan to swim, the water temperature. Also check the calendar: Many destinations host festivals, such as for wine (the Finger Lakes), raspberries (Bear Lake) and ice (Lake Superior).

Here are 10 of our favorite lakes in North America:Lake Superior (multiple states and Ontario)

Lake Superior’s superlatives are stunning: It’s the world’s largest freshwater lake by surface area, holding 3 quadrillion gallons, and the coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes. So, where even to begin with such an immense body of water — 31,700 square miles of surface — that touches Michigan, Minnesota, Wisconsin and Ontario? Andrew Harper travel adviser Carolyn Consalvo said the answer for some clients is to see it from a cruise ship. She has clients booked on Viking Cruises Great Lakes sailings this summer and fall, visiting multiple lakes including Superior. “It’s a bucket-list item for a lot of our clients,” she said.

Those who prefer a land-based approach can take the self-guided, 1,300-mile Lake Superior Circle Tour around the lake’s border. Disaster lovers may enjoy the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum on a Michigan stretch of shore — or they may want to dive some of the lake’s hundreds of shipwrecks themselves. National park aficionados can add a difficult-to-reach one to their list with a visit to Isle Royale. The 21 islands of Apostle Islands National Lakeshore in Wisconsin include sea caves, bluffs and lighthouses to explore.

Visit the Sleeping Giant in Ontario. Witness a 120-foot waterfall in Minnesota at Grand Portage State Park, rich with Ojibwe history. You’ll wish you planned two weeks to tackle this one giant lake.

Lake Memphremagog (Quebec and Vermont)

This long and narrow glacial lake covers more than 38 square miles, stretching from Vermont to Quebec, with the majority of the water in the Canadian province. Travel adviser Caroline Weilert, of the luxury agency Fora X, recommends experiencing it from Magog at the north end. The city is in the Eastern Townships, a region east of Montreal, where some British loyalists fled after the Revolutionary War, making it a good fit for history buffs. Weilert visited during an anniversary trip two years ago and loved the “throwback retro vibe” that mixed with “buzzy” restaurant, microbrewery and shopping scenes.

“It had this charm about it that was welcoming, and the scenery was breathtaking,” she said. In the summer, visit one of the beaches, rent a kayak or take a day cruise on the water, or explore walking paths or miles-long cycling routes. In the winter, opt for ice skates, snow scooters or skiing in nearby Mont-Orford. Verso, a boutique hotel in Magog, offers lake views and a short walk to restaurants in town.

Pokegama Lake (Minnesota)

For travelers who perk up at the phrase “There’s no place like home,” there may be no lake like Pokegama (including the other Minnesota lake with the same name farther south). The 6,612-acre body of water off the Mississippi River sits just a few miles from the Judy Garland Museum in Grand Rapids, Minnesota, where “The Wizard of Oz” star spent her early years. A carriage from the film is on display, and a “Ruby Slipper Theft Guided Tour” adds to the intrigue.

Fora travel adviser and Grand Rapids resident Lindsay Vaughn wrote to The Washington Post that the lake is “a serene environment ideal for a peaceful retreat” and praised the “really clean” beaches. On the water, explore some of Pokegama’s bays by kayak, boat or stand-up paddleboard. Or lounge on the shores of Tioga Beach. Fishing for walleye, northern pike and other species is popular when it’s warm and when it’s icy. Land activities include hiking, ATV trails and snowshoeing in winter. The two-room Green Heron Bed and Breakfast promises lake views, birdwatching and resident pets. In town, Vaughn likes Hotel Rapids, a boutique property with a yurt for private-event rentals or for cocktails and card games when it’s not booked.

Lake Martin (Louisiana)

Some of the state’s largest alligators inhabit the swampy Lake Martin, which is part of the Cypress Island Preserve in St. Martin Parish. To protect new gator mothers and their hatchlings, the Nature Conservancy closes the Levee Trail during the summer, but many of the 200 acres of open water are open year-round. Tour operators lead visitors through stands of cypress and tupelo trees in kayaks, canoes and crawfish skiffs. Thousands of birds, including 13 waterbird species, drop by during their migrations or set up permanent residence. Every evening, the sun drops its curtain against Lake Martin’s dramatic backdrop.

Besides the Nature Conservancy’s visitor center, amenities are minimal, but the lake is in the midst of Cajun country. Drive a few miles to Lafayette for live music and dance lessons at Blue Moon Saloon and Guesthouse, or head to Buck and Johnny’s in Breaux Bridge for a Zydeco breakfast or pizza with such regional toppings as crawfish and alligator sausage.

Cayuga Lake (New York)

Each of the 11 Finger Lakes can stand on its own or be paired together like rainbow trout and chardonnay, both of which you can get in this popular fishing and wine-producing region.

At 40 miles from end to end, Cayuga Lake is the longest Finger Lake and is plenty deep (435 feet) for hooking fish, boating and scuba diving. If you’re worried about Old Greeny, a mythical sea monster, go ashore to Seneca Falls, the birthplace of the American suffrage movement; the college town of Ithaca; or Montezuma National Wildlife Refuge, a birdwatching haven with a wildlife drive that’s three miles each way.

“Twilight Zone” fans should spend a night in Interlaken, where the show’s creator, Rod Serling, summered and is buried. The travel experts at Andrew Harper recommend the Aurora Inn, across the way, along with a bottle of riesling from Quarry Ridge Winery.

Donner Lake (California)

The name comes from the doomed “Donner Party” of families who migrated west in the mid-19th century, many of whose members met their fate along the lake’s east end. The history is on display at Donner Memorial State Park’s visitor center and the Pioneer Monument, where one of the members’ cabins once stood. But this nearly three-mile-long alpine lake in the Sierra Nevada is hardly a downer. Less than 20 miles from the much larger and more famous Lake Tahoe, Donner Lake offers stunning views, warmer water and fewer crowds as an alternative.

“You don’t have to get there to reserve a spot at 7:45 (a.m),” said Nadia Schwartz, a Fora travel adviser who has a vacation home nearby. Her favorite season at Donner Lake is summer, when visitors can bicycle, explore miles of trails and spend time in or on the water. Winter offers snowshoeing, cross-country skiing and nearby downhill ski areas, including one that hosted the 1960 Winter Olympics. Truckee, where the lake is located, has a historic downtown, free shuttles to the water and, Schwartz said, a burgeoning food scene. If camping at the state park isn’t your speed, vacation rentals are abundant, or Schwartz recommends the adventure-focused Gravity Haus Truckee-Tahoe.

Bear Lake (Utah and Idaho)

Bear Lake’s address is Mountain West, but its turquoise-blue water belongs in the tropics. The lake owes its nickname, “the Caribbean of the Rockies,” to the suspended limestone particles that reflect the water’s color back to the surface. Its glassiness will comfort visitors concerned about what lurks beneath, especially because the Bear Lake Monster purportedly roams these parts.

The lake is a patchwork of protected natural areas, sandy beaches and recreational hubs where visitors can rent boats, water trampolines and beach wheelchairs. You can pitch a tent or hook up an RV at Bear Lake State Park in Utah or Idaho, or upgrade your accommodations at Conestoga Ranch, a glamping resort in Garden City that offers luxury tents and wagons with campfire valet service. When not on the water, seek out a raspberry shake, a specialty in the southern — or Utah — half of the lake.

Lady Bird Lake (Texas)

This reservoir on the Colorado River sits smack-dab in the middle of Austin, with the downtown skyline never far from view. A pastoral streak, however, runs through the 5-mile body of water and the Ann and Roy Butler Hike-and-Bike Trail that borders it. The complementary attractions draw an estimated 5 million visitors a year, in addition to herons, egrets, hawks, damselflies and other wildlife. “It is an incredible urban lake to explore,” said Meredith Carey, deputy editor at Tripadvisor, “and there’s a ton of infrastructure.”

Swimming and motorized vessels are not allowed on Lady Bird Lake, but most human-powered water sports are. Carey recommends renting from the Austin Rowing Club, which also leads tours, such as a paddle timed to the sunset flight of the Congress Avenue Bridge bats. The shores are lined with rental outfitters, hotels, restaurants and bars. At Perch, fuel up with a coffee and bagel, then head to the dock below and board a vintage electric boat that epitomizes Austin cool.

Lake Quinault (Washington)

The glacier-fed Lake Quinault, in Olympic National Park, is a blue island in a sea of green, buffeted by a temperate rainforest that boasts some of the world’s tallest trees. Several conifers in Quinault Valley appear on the Champion Tree Registry, including a 191-foot-tall Sitka spruce tree on the lake’s eastern shore.

The 31-mile Quinault Rain Forest Loop Drive encircles the lake (plus a portion of a river), which the Quinault Indian Nation owns and runs. The tribe permits swimming, wading and walking but bans unregistered boats, including canoes and kayaks. Several campgrounds and historic accommodations provide shelter on the shoreline. In October 1937, Lake Quinault Lodge hosted President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Less than a year after his lakeside lunch, he established Olympic National Park.

Table Rock Lake (Missouri and Arkansas)

Table Rock Lake is a youngster compared with its surrounding landscape, the millions-of-years-old Ozark Mountains. But since its creation in the late 1950s, when the Army Corps of Engineers dammed the White River, the lake has not wasted a minute building up its banks with amusement park attractions, marinas and sprawling resorts. One of the most ambitious enterprises is Big Cedar Lodge, which Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris opened nearly four decades ago and continues to expand.

The lake has more than 800 miles of shoreline, but you won’t feel like a minnow in a giant aquarium. In addition to its smaller waterways and tucked-away coves, Table Rock is divided into four areas — or five, if you count underwater. Divers can explore a submerged grove of oak trees, several sunken ships and a Missouri town called Oasis that lived above the waterline in pre-lake times.