Lake Meredith, Texas, USA

Also known as:  Meredith Reservoir

Lake Meredith is an impressive 16,441-acre reservoir in the Texas Plains Region of the Texas Panhandle, about 30 miles northeast of Amarillo. Managed by the National Park Service and the Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Lake Meredith is a major source of drinking water for Amarillo, Lubbock, and nine other cities in the area. It is formed by Sanford Dam on the Canadian River in Sanford, Texas….
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All About Lake Meredith, TX

Lake Meredith is an impressive 16,441-acre reservoir in the Texas Plains Region of the Texas Panhandle, about 30 miles northeast of Amarillo. Managed by the National Park Service and the Lake Meredith National Recreation Area, Lake Meredith is a major source of drinking water for Amarillo, Lubbock, and nine other cities in the area. It is formed by Sanford Dam on the Canadian River in Sanford, Texas. National Park Service headquarters are located in Fritch on Highway 136 where general information maps are available.

Lake Meredith provides anglers with healthy and diverse fish populations. According to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, Lake Meredith has the best walleye fishing in Texas, where their numbers are maintained through natural reproduction. The reservoir is also home to excellent populations of smallmouth bass and white bass. Fishermen also reel in crappie, channel catfish, flathead catfish, largemouth bass, and yellow perch. Lake Meredith is dominated by steep rocky banks, rock piles, and steep drop-offs that provide excellent cover for game fish.

The National Park Service provides camping and picnic facilities at more than 10 areas around the Lake Meredith shoreline. Boat ramp access depends on water level. Boat ramps are available at Sanford Yake, Cedar Canyon, Fitch Fortress, Harbor Bay, and Blue West recreation areas, where visitors can also enjoy camping and picnic facilities.

The Lake Meredith Recreation Area offers visitors plentiful on-water and off-water fun. Water enthusiasts enjoy boating, waterskiing, sailing, scuba diving, and swimming in the refreshing water on long hot summer days. Visitors who prefer adrenaline-pumping land activities will not be disappointed with hiking, horseback riding, and ATV recreation. Hunters come during the cooler months when game species such as whitetail deer, mule, deer, dove, turkey, quail, duck, pheasant, and geese are prevalent.

Houseboat vacation rentals are popular on Lake Meredith. With the rugged rock walls of Lake Meredith, the lake has more of a western feel to it, offering beautiful views of ledges, cliffs, and rocks.

For more off–water activity, head to the Alibates Flint Quarries National Monument, an integral part of the Lake Meredith National Recreation Area. As the only National Monument in Texas, Alibates is home to arrowheads made from the multi-colored stone that makes up the flint quarry. For thousands of years, indigenous tribes came to the area for the flint that was vital for tools and weapons. Quarry tours are available twice a day when weather permits.

Head to Amarillo to see two sites listed on the list of Texas Oddities, the Cadillac Ranch and the large basketball feet sculpture. Just south of Amarillo is Palo Duro Canyon State Park, the second largest canyon in the United States. Hike and mountain bike the park during the cooler months.

Lake Meredith, which is a serene water oasis in the middle of the Texas Panhandle, offers great weekend or week-long trips for vacationers in north Texas, the eastern parts of New Mexico, and the western edges of Oklahoma. Whether you want to camp, fish, hunt, or just enjoy the water, Lake Meredith offers a bit of a surprise in an otherwise dry part of Texas.

Things to Do at Lake Meredith

These are some activities in the Lake Meredith, TX area visitors can enjoy:

  • Vacation Rentals
  • Fishing
  • Boating
  • Sailing
  • Swimming
  • Water Skiing
  • Scuba Diving
  • Camping
  • Picnicking
  • Hiking
  • Horseback Riding
  • Hunting
  • Wildlife Viewing
  • Birding
  • State Park
  • National Park

What Kind of Fish Are in Lake Meredith?

Lake Meredith has been known to have the following fish species:

  • Bass
  • Black Bass
  • Catfish
  • Channel Catfish
  • Crappie
  • Flathead Catfish
  • Largemouth Bass
  • Perch
  • Smallmouth Bass
  • Walleye
  • White Bass
  • Yellow Perch
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Find Places to Stay at Lake Meredith

If you’re considering a Lake Meredith lake house rental or hotel, we’ve made it super easy to find the best rates and compare vacation accommodations at a glance. Save time using this interactive map below.

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More Sites to Book a Lake Meredith Vacation

Our interactive Lake Meredith lodging map above is an easy tool for comparing VRBO rental homes and nearby hotels with Booking.com, but there could be times when you need to expand your search for different types of accommodations. Here are some other lake lodging partners we recommend:

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Lake Meredith Statistics & Helpful Links

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Lake Type: Artificial Reservoir, Dammed

Water Level Control: National Park Service

Surface Area: 16,441 acres

Shoreline Length: 100 miles

Normal Elevation (Full Pond): 2,941 feet

Average Depth: 30 feet

Maximum Depth: 127 feet

Water Volume: 779,556 acre-feet

Completion Year: 1965

Drainage Area: 9,090 sq. miles

Trophic State: Mesotrophic

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