The Texas Panhandle is the High Plains and more plains, but then there’s Lake Meredith, a dramatic wet spot in the landscape. At 10,000 acres, it’s nothing short of huge, and it’s certainly huge enough to supply 11 cities in that surrounding Panhandle.

It’s a beautiful reservoir, Lake Meredith, and thousands of Texans and non-Texans pull a boat onto the waters to cruise and explore. The shoreline is jutted with both pinnacles and buttes, and boaters can maneuver into red-rock coves. Instead of high-branching trees, the shores are populated with mesquite and prickly pear, and those grasses adapted to the aridity of the air.

The marina at Lake Meredith will rent you a houseboat or a powerboat. And if you’re so inclined, fishing off the side of the boat can be very rewarding. Smallmouth, Largemouth, and White Bass can be caught here, as well as White and Black Crappie, Channel, Blue, and Flathead Catfish, Walleye, and Rainbow and Brown Trout. Walleye fishing is said to be the best in Texas.

Campers will find any number of sites for their use, which tend to be more toward the "primitive” than the "full-of-amenities,” although there are plenty of places for RVs.

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