Best Cabin Lakes in Minnesota, Clean + Deep + Great Fishing

Best-for-cabin rankings weight a different bundle: clarity matters, but so does the lake's likelihood to support a good fishery, public access, and the kind of all-season water-quality stability that makes a cabin a meaningful investment. Little Mcdonald Lake leads the Minnesota list.

Cabin rankings also factor in the practical reality of cabin ownership: distance to a population center, shoreline development pressure, and the trajectory of the lake's readings over multiple sample years. A stable record is often a better cabin investment than a volatile one.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Clarity	Area	Depth
1	Little Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	MN	26.5 ft	1,316 acres	109 ft
2	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	25 ft	803 acres	84 ft
3	Serpent Lake	Crow Wing	MN	25 ft	1,116 acres	65 ft
4	Big Cormorant Lake	Becker	MN	24.8 ft	3,657 acres	75 ft
5	Big Sand Lake	Hubbard	MN	23 ft	1,639 acres	135 ft
6	Stony Lake	Cass	MN	23 ft	563 acres	50 ft
7	Turtle Lake	Becker	MN	23 ft	196 acres	73 ft
8	Belle Taine Lake	Hubbard	MN	22.8 ft	1,497 acres	56 ft
9	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	22.6 ft	907 acres	46 ft
10	West Sylvia Lake	Wright	MN	22 ft	904 acres	97 ft
11	Long Lost Lake	Clearwater	MN	22 ft	539 acres	63 ft
12	Big Ole Lake	Itasca	MN	21.8 ft	217 acres	65 ft
13	Little Jay Gould Lake	Itasca	MN	21.5 ft	150 acres	56 ft
14	Long Lake	Cass	MN	21.5 ft	1,007 acres	115 ft
15	Six Lake	Otter Tail	MN	21 ft	197 acres	140 ft
16	East Sylvia Lake	Wright	MN	21 ft	669 acres	78 ft
17	Moon Lake	Douglas	MN	21 ft	139 acres	38 ft
18	Bearskin Lake	Cook	MN	21 ft	509 acres	78 ft
19	Swenson Lake	Beltrami	MN	20.7 ft	412 acres	76 ft
20	Mayhew Lake	Cook	MN	20.6 ft	221 acres	84 ft
21	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	20.5 ft	159 acres	80 ft
22	North Union Lake	Douglas	MN	20.3 ft	118 acres	42 ft
23	Little Sand Lake	Hubbard	MN	20 ft	410 acres	80 ft
24	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	20 ft	711 acres	63 ft
25	Scalp Lake	Otter Tail	MN	20 ft	254 acres	90 ft
26	Long Lake	Beltrami	MN	20 ft	412 acres	87 ft
27	Sybil Lake	Otter Tail	MN	20 ft	683 acres	74 ft
28	Big Fish Lake	Stearns	MN	20 ft	557 acres	70 ft
29	Little Carnelian Lake	Washington	MN	20 ft	137 acres	68 ft
30	Boot Lake	Becker	MN	19.5 ft	385 acres	109 ft
31	Long Lake	Becker	MN	19.5 ft	415 acres	61 ft
32	Big Deep Lake	Cass	MN	19.4 ft	536 acres	107 ft
33	Big Bass Lake	Hubbard	MN	19.4 ft	133 acres	60 ft
34	East Silent Lake	Otter Tail	MN	19.2 ft	324 acres	48 ft
35	North Star Lake	Itasca	MN	19 ft	832 acres	90 ft
36	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	19 ft	767 acres	108 ft
37	Ponto Lake	Cass	MN	19 ft	388 acres	60 ft
38	Siseebakwet Lake	Itasca	MN	19 ft	1,210 acres	105 ft
39	Star Lake	Crow Wing	MN	19 ft	127 acres	83 ft
40	Ozawindib Lake	Clearwater	MN	19 ft	159 acres	80 ft
41	Bluewater Lake	Itasca	MN	18.5 ft	364 acres	120 ft
42	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	18.5 ft	700 acres	100 ft
43	Bay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	18.5 ft	2,330 acres	74 ft
44	Kimball Lake	Crow Wing	MN	18.4 ft	190 acres	77 ft
45	Trout Lake	Cook	MN	18.4 ft	259 acres	77 ft
46	Bass Lake	Itasca	MN	18.2 ft	122 acres	65 ft
47	Flour Lake	Cook	MN	18.2 ft	330 acres	75 ft
48	Carlos Lake	Douglas	MN	18 ft	2,605 acres	163 ft
49	Wabana Lake	Itasca	MN	18 ft	2,221 acres	115 ft
50	Rush Lake	Crow Wing	MN	18 ft	858 acres	105 ft

Ways to pick a Minnesota cabin lake

Lowest-nutrient water

Little Mcdonald Lake — Otter Tail County
Bad Medicine Lake — Becker County
Serpent Lake — Crow Wing County
Big Cormorant Lake — Becker County

Deepest lakes

Carlos Lake — 163 ft
Six Lake — 140 ft
Big Sand Lake — 135 ft
Bluewater Lake — 120 ft

Get updates when Minnesota cabin lakes change

New readings can move a lake on or off this list. Unsubscribe anytime.

Combined list →Wisconsin version →All Minnesota lakes →

Cabins & lakeside stays in Minnesota

Compare lakeside cabins, resorts, and vacation rentals across Minnesota — live availability and prices for your lake getaway.

Top-rated places to stay near Minnesota lake country

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Frequently Asked Questions

These lists keep clear, low-nutrient water, 100 to 5,000 acres, at least 20 feet of depth, and documented game fish. That mix is what a weekend cabin trip actually uses — swim water, a fishable basin, and a shoreline that can hold a dock.

Cabins, resorts, and vacation rentals for the ranked lakes are on the map on this page. Pick a lake from the table, then book from the town the map is centered on.

Lakes are ranked by water clarity among lakes with low nutrient and algae readings. Depth and fish-survey coverage currently support Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan lists. Other states appear as lake and region pages until those fields exist.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.