What is the best kayaking lake near Alexandria?

Cowdry Lake in Douglas County is the top-ranked kayaking lake near Alexandria, with a water quality grade of A (2.2 miles away).

How many lakes are near Alexandria for kayaking?

30 lakes within driving distance of Alexandria match the kayaking filters used on this page.

Best Lakes for Kayaking Near Alexandria, MN

30 kayaking lakes within driving distance of Alexandria, Minnesota, ranked by water quality and kayaking-specific filters. Filtered for grade A, B, or C water quality, public access, and ideal paddling size (30-3,000 acres).

Within reasonable driving distance of Alexandria sit 30 graded lakes — a lake-dense area that gives residents real choice on any given weekend. The average grade across the nearby set is A.

The kayaking-specific ranking layered on top of the letter grade is what produces the list below: a grade-good lake that does not also support the kayaking use case is less useful than a grade-decent lake that does.

#	Lake	County	Grade	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	A	2.2 mi	17.1 ft	52 ft
2	Geneva Lake	Douglas	A	2.6 mi	14.1 ft	63 ft
3	Lottie Lake	Douglas	A	2.6 mi	16.1 ft	31 ft
4	Latoka Lake	Douglas	A	2.9 mi	19 ft	108 ft
5	Burgen Lake	Douglas	A	3.3 mi	12 ft	43 ft
6	Brophy Lake	Douglas	A	3.5 mi	15.4 ft	44 ft
7	Louise Lake	Douglas	A	3.5 mi	14.5 ft	33 ft
8	Le Homme Dieu Lake	Douglas	A	3.6 mi	13.1 ft	85 ft
9	Andrew Lake	Douglas	A	4.8 mi	13.9 ft	83 ft
10	Carlos Lake	Douglas	A	5.3 mi	18 ft	163 ft
11	Lobster Lake	Douglas	A	7.1 mi	13 ft	65 ft
12	Mary Lake	Douglas	A	7.1 mi	10.5 ft	40 ft
13	Maple Lake	Douglas	A	7.5 mi	14.1 ft	78 ft
14	Crooked Lake	Douglas	A	8.9 mi	14 ft	35 ft
15	Blackwell Lake	Douglas	A	9.4 mi	11.5 ft	42 ft
16	Rachel Lake	Douglas	A	10.1 mi	7.9 ft	65 ft
17	Chippewa Lake	Douglas	A	10.8 mi	14.8 ft	95 ft
18	Moon Lake	Douglas	A	11.2 mi	21 ft	38 ft
19	Vermont Lake	Douglas	A	13.8 mi	14.1 ft	59 ft
20	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	A	24.8 mi	22.6 ft	46 ft
21	Signalness Lake	Pope	A	24.8 mi	10.7 ft	14 ft
22	Crane Lake	Otter Tail	A	26.5 mi	9 ft	43 ft
23	Linka Lake	Pope	A	27.2 mi	10.2 ft	50 ft
24	Little Birch Lake	Todd	A	28.9 mi	13 ft	89 ft
25	Stuart Lake	Otter Tail	A	28.9 mi	17.5 ft	49 ft
26	Long Lake	Otter Tail	A	29.1 mi	12.1 ft	88 ft
27	Clitherall Lake	Otter Tail	A	29.3 mi	14.1 ft	69 ft
28	East Battle Lake	Otter Tail	A	29.7 mi	13.1 ft	87 ft
29	Scandinavian Lake	Pope	A	30.1 mi	8 ft	49 ft
30	Elbow Lake	Otter Tail	A	33.3 mi	18 ft	46 ft

Other activities near Alexandria

Swimming near Alexandria →Fishing near Alexandria →Boating near Alexandria →All lakes near Alexandria →

Where to stay near Alexandria

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Top-rated places to stay near Alexandria

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.