Best Kayaking Lakes in Minnesota, Clean Water + Public Access

Kayaking-friendly rankings prefer lakes with low motor-boat congestion, interesting shoreline, decent water clarity, and public access. Hunter Lake tops the Minnesota list.

Kayaking favors lakes with shoreline interest — bays, islands, undeveloped stretches — which tends to correlate with the larger, more remote Minnesota lakes rather than the small, residential ones.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Clarity	Area	Depth
1	Hunter Lake	Cass	MN	31 ft	182 acres	48 ft
2	Kerbs Lake	Otter Tail	MN	27.7 ft	-	-
3	Little Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	MN	26.5 ft	1,316 acres	109 ft
4	Serpent Lake	Crow Wing	MN	25 ft	1,116 acres	65 ft
5	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	25 ft	803 acres	84 ft
6	Big Sand Lake	Hubbard	MN	23 ft	1,639 acres	135 ft
7	Stony Lake	Cass	MN	23 ft	563 acres	50 ft
8	Turtle Lake	Becker	MN	23 ft	196 acres	73 ft
9	Belle Taine Lake	Hubbard	MN	22.8 ft	1,497 acres	56 ft
10	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	22.6 ft	907 acres	46 ft
11	West Sylvia Lake	Wright	MN	22 ft	904 acres	97 ft
12	Long Lost Lake	Clearwater	MN	22 ft	539 acres	63 ft
13	Little Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	22 ft	86 acres	80 ft
14	Big Ole Lake	Itasca	MN	21.8 ft	217 acres	65 ft
15	Long Lake	Cass	MN	21.5 ft	1,007 acres	115 ft
16	Little Jay Gould Lake	Itasca	MN	21.5 ft	150 acres	56 ft
17	Bearskin Lake	Cook	MN	21 ft	509 acres	78 ft
18	Six Lake	Otter Tail	MN	21 ft	197 acres	140 ft
19	Moon Lake	Douglas	MN	21 ft	139 acres	38 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	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	20 ft	711 acres	63 ft
23	Sybil Lake	Otter Tail	MN	20 ft	683 acres	74 ft
24	Big Fish Lake	Stearns	MN	20 ft	557 acres	70 ft
25	Little Sand Lake	Hubbard	MN	20 ft	410 acres	80 ft
26	Scalp Lake	Otter Tail	MN	20 ft	254 acres	90 ft
27	Sylvan Lake	Cass	MN	19.5 ft	1,280 acres	-
28	Long Lake	Becker	MN	19.5 ft	415 acres	61 ft
29	Boot Lake	Becker	MN	19.5 ft	385 acres	109 ft
30	Big Bass Lake	Hubbard	MN	19.4 ft	133 acres	60 ft
31	Lone Lake	Clearwater	MN	19.4 ft	69 acres	70 ft
32	East Silent Lake	Otter Tail	MN	19.2 ft	324 acres	48 ft
33	Siseebakwet Lake	Itasca	MN	19 ft	1,210 acres	105 ft
34	North Star Lake	Itasca	MN	19 ft	832 acres	90 ft
35	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	19 ft	767 acres	108 ft
36	Ponto Lake	Cass	MN	19 ft	388 acres	60 ft
37	Ozawindib Lake	Clearwater	MN	19 ft	159 acres	80 ft
38	Crooked Lake	Hubbard	MN	19 ft	-	~38 ft est.
39	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	18.5 ft	700 acres	100 ft
40	Bluewater Lake	Itasca	MN	18.5 ft	364 acres	120 ft
41	Emma Lake	Hubbard	MN	18.5 ft	78 acres	50 ft
42	Green Lake	Beltrami	MN	18.5 ft	-	~32 ft est.
43	Trout Lake	Cook	MN	18.4 ft	259 acres	77 ft
44	Kimball Lake	Crow Wing	MN	18.4 ft	190 acres	77 ft
45	Flour Lake	Cook	MN	18.2 ft	330 acres	75 ft
46	Bass Lake	Itasca	MN	18.2 ft	122 acres	65 ft
47	Webb Lake	Cass	MN	18 ft	720 acres	84 ft
48	Midge Lake	Hubbard	MN	18 ft	546 acres	24 ft
49	Mule Lake	Cass	MN	18 ft	525 acres	47 ft
50	Hungry Jack Lake	Cook	MN	18 ft	474 acres	71 ft

Get updates when Minnesota kayaking lakes change

New clarity and algae readings can move a lake on this list. Unsubscribe anytime.

All-states list →Wisconsin version →Illinois version →Michigan version →All Minnesota lakes →

Where to stay near Minnesota kayaking lakes

Find cabins, campgrounds, and rentals near Minnesota's clearest paddling water — live availability and prices for your kayak trip.

Top-rated places to stay near Minnesota paddling lakes

Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a trip to Minnesota paddling lakes?

Get lake water-quality updates plus the best cabin & lodging deals near Minnesota paddling lakes — straight to your inbox. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.