What is the best kayaking lake near Bemidji?

Newman Lake in Hubbard County is the top-ranked kayaking lake near Bemidji, with a water quality grade of A (7 miles away).

How many lakes are near Bemidji for kayaking?

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

Best Lakes for Kayaking Near Bemidji

Minnesota

30 kayaking lakes within driving distance of Bemidji, 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).

Bemidji sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 30 graded lakes within reach, average grade A. Newman Lake (A) leads the cluster.

Filtered for kayaking, the nearby-lake list narrows further. kayaking-specific signals — fish species, public access, depth profile, motor-boat congestion — interact with the LakeGrade rubric in different ways depending on the use case.

#	Lake	County	Grade	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Newman Lake	Hubbard	A	7 mi	17.1 ft	63 ft
2	Swenson Lake	Beltrami	A	9.1 mi	20.7 ft	76 ft
3	Midge Lake	Hubbard	A	9.9 mi	18 ft	24 ft
4	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	A	10.6 mi	15.1 ft	60 ft
5	South Twin Lake	Beltrami	A	15.7 mi	16.7 ft	45 ft
6	North Twin Lake	Beltrami	A	15.8 mi	17.4 ft	59 ft
7	Buzzle Lake	Beltrami	A	15.8 mi	17.1 ft	83 ft
8	Mary Lake	Hubbard	A	18.7 mi	18.8 ft	48 ft
9	Moose Lake	Beltrami	A	19.6 mi	15.1 ft	71 ft
10	Twenty-One Lake	Hubbard	A	21.7 mi	17 ft	51.5 ft
11	Long Lake	Clearwater	A	23.8 mi	20.5 ft	80 ft
12	Beauty Lake	Hubbard	A	24.2 mi	21 ft	53 ft
13	Ozawindib Lake	Clearwater	A	24.8 mi	19 ft	80 ft
14	Lone Lake	Clearwater	A	26.6 mi	19.4 ft	70 ft
15	Skunk Lake	Hubbard	A	27.4 mi	16.5 ft	55 ft
16	Little Mantrap Lake	Hubbard	A	27.9 mi	17 ft	54 ft
17	Waboose Lake	Hubbard	A	28.9 mi	16.8 ft	32 ft
18	Upper Bottle Lake	Hubbard	A	30 mi	16 ft	55 ft
19	Dead Lake	Hubbard	A	30.8 mi	16 ft	34 ft
20	Ojibway Lake	Hubbard	A	31 mi	15.5 ft	22 ft
21	Big Bass Lake	Hubbard	A	31.5 mi	19.4 ft	60 ft
22	Emma Lake	Hubbard	A	31.6 mi	18.5 ft	50 ft
23	Long Lost Lake	Clearwater	A	31.8 mi	22 ft	63 ft
24	Blue Lake	Hubbard	A	32.1 mi	17.3 ft	84 ft
25	Spider (Ne Lake	Hubbard	A	32.4 mi	17.1 ft	96 ft
26	Big Sand Lake	Hubbard	A	33 mi	23 ft	135 ft
27	Boot Lake	Becker	A	33.2 mi	19.5 ft	109 ft
28	Little Sand Lake	Hubbard	A	33.6 mi	20 ft	80 ft
29	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	A	33.7 mi	25 ft	84 ft
30	Jack Lake	Cass	A	34.9 mi	15.7 ft	110 ft

Other activities near Bemidji

Swimming near Bemidji →Fishing near Bemidji →Boating near Bemidji →All lakes near Bemidji →

Where to stay near Bemidji

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Top-rated places to stay near Bemidji

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.