Skiatook Lake's Clear, Blue Waters Ready For Summer Fun

The weather, among other things, is boosting business on some of Green Country's lakes.

CrossTimbers Marina on Skiatook Lake is gearing up for one of its best summers yet.

Lake business took a bit of a hit last year. Water levels were low due to that hot, dry summer.

But the summer is off to a great start and those out on the lake expect it to stay that way.

What a day to be on the lake -- whether you're boating on the water or splashing around on the beach.

"The kids love it," Nebraska resident Katie Shreve said.

Shreve and her family are visiting from Lincoln, Nebraska, and say they're quite impressed with Skiatook Lake.

"We have a lot of big lakes [in Nebraska], but this is very clear," Shreve said.

It's actually the state's cleanest lake.

So pristine, you might even forget you're in Oklahoma.

"We're in a very high part of northeast Oklahoma, one of the highest elevations, and so it looks like Lake Tahoe and people that may be watching this are going, ‘Oh, I'll bet,' come out look at it," CrossTimbers Marina owner Ron Howell said. "It is blue like Lake Tahoe, it's amazing water."

Right now, Howell said, business is sailing more smoothly than ever before.

"We have public-use cottages and they're growing quickly and are just staying booked," Howell said. "Everything's booked, our rental boats are booked, our sand beach is full, our parking lot is full."

Not bad for a place Howell considers to be the area's best-kept secret.

"With all the road connections to Owasso and to Tulsa, that secret is getting out quickly," Howell said.

Possibly the greatest selling point is its proximity to Tulsa.

Tom Williams sure thinks so.

"It's 30 minutes from my house and 30 minutes from my office in the middle of Tulsa, that's the best thing," Williams said.

And if the location isn't enough.

"You know, watch the sun go down and it's Oklahoma at its finest, that's pretty neat," Williams said.

Nature will take care of the rest.