Less Than An Hour From Allentown Is Pennsylvania's Serene Lake Escape Perfect For Fishing And Paddling

While some lakes are geared towards beach play and speedboats, Pennsylvania's Leaser Lake is a quieter contender for travelers who want to fish or paddle without the commotion. Located in the scenic, mountainous Lehigh Valley of Pennsylvania and with the Appalachian foothills on its doorstep, the Leaser Lake Park is a retreat in nature without straying too far from the city, around a 45-minute drive from Allentown. The park encompasses the 117-acre lake and the wooded lands around it, per the Lehigh County website. Between the lake's shores and the trail that encircles it, travelers can make a relaxing day of the park by casting a line, launching a kayak, or wandering into the surrounding meadows to look for birds.

Leaser Lake Park was intentionally designed for recreation when it was created by the Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission. The calm of the park is a recurring theme among pleased reviewers on Google Maps. "The area was very quiet, plenty of room to relax," one Google Maps reviewer said. The park has some built-in buffers to keep it that way, too. Boats can only go onto the lake if they're non-powered (like kayaks or canoes) or with small electric motors (no gasoline motors), and even with a motor, it has to be kept at no-wake speed, as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania details. Swimming isn't allowed, either. While that might be a drawback to some, for boaters and anglers, it preserves the quiet atmosphere of the park and keeps the waters clear to fish or paddle through.

With its winding shoreline, there are tons of spots around Leaser Lake to fish from and little coves for paddlers to explore. This body of water holds 4.4 stars from fishing reviewers on the fishing community app Fishbrain. The Fish and Boat Commission regularly stocks the lake with trout, and it has also supplied catfish, muskellunge, walleye, crappie, and bass in the past, according to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. There's a variety of habitat structures for fish provided in the lake — a map shows where you can find these structures, including rocky mounds and felled trees.

Two boat launches are by the north and east side of the lake, while there's another ADA-accessible kayak launch on the west. As fast-moving boat traffic isn't permitted, paddlers won't have to contend with large wakes cutting across the lake. You can glide leisurely with a view of nearby hills, forest, and grassy meadows. Company might come in the form of ospreys, herons, and bald eagles, some of the notable species recorded on eBird. The lake has numerous coves and an island to navigate around.

On the land, there's a 4-mile trail that follows the shoreline, and there are over 50 picnic tables on the north side of the lake, per Lehigh County. There are three parking lots: one on the north, west, and east sides of the lake. The Lehigh Valley International Airport (ABE) is in Allentown, so the city is an easy base for exploring the region. You might also want to check out Nazareth, the valley's historic hub with rare landmarks, or, if you want to take in more of the region's nature, Saylor Park offers activities along the Lehigh River.