Best Lakes for Swimming Near Bemidji
Minnesota
30 swimming lakes within driving distance of Bemidji, Minnesota, ranked by water quality and swimming-specific filters. Filtered for grade A or B water quality, low algae (chlorophyll-a under 15 µg/L), and public access. Always check local advisories on the day you swim.
Within reasonable driving distance of Bemidji 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 swimming-specific ranking layered on top of the LakeGrade rubric is what produces the list below: a grade-good lake that does not also support the swimming use case is less useful than a grade-decent lake that does.
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Little Bass Lake | Beltrami | A | 6 mi | 16 ft | - |
| 2 | 29-0237-00 Lake | Hubbard | A | 7 mi | 17.1 ft | - |
| 3 | Spearhead Lake | Hubbard | A | 7.9 mi | 15 ft | - |
| 4 | Swenson Lake | Beltrami | A | 9.1 mi | 20.8 ft | - |
| 5 | Andrusia Lake | Beltrami | A | 10.6 mi | 15.5 ft | - |
| 6 | Long Lake | Beltrami | A | 10.9 mi | 20 ft | - |
| 7 | Cass Lake Allens Bay | Beltrami | A | 12.4 mi | 16.6 ft | - |
| 8 | South Twin Lake | Beltrami | A | 15.7 mi | 16.4 ft | - |
| 9 | North Twin Lake | Beltrami | A | 15.8 mi | 17.4 ft | - |
| 10 | Buzzle Lake | Beltrami | A | 15.8 mi | 17.1 ft | - |
| 11 | Cass Lake | Beltrami | A | 16.5 mi | 18.5 ft | - |
| 12 | Mary Lake | Hubbard | A | 18.7 mi | 19.5 ft | - |
| 13 | Gillett Lake | Hubbard | A | 20.9 mi | 19 ft | - |
| 14 | Twenty-One Lake | Hubbard | A | 21.7 mi | 17 ft | - |
| 15 | Long Lake | Clearwater | A | 23.8 mi | 20 ft | - |
| 16 | Beauty Lake | Hubbard | A | 24.2 mi | 21 ft | - |
| 17 | Ozawindib Lake | Clearwater | A | 24.8 mi | 19 ft | - |
| 18 | Heart Lake | Clearwater | A | 24.9 mi | 16 ft | - |
| 19 | Kinney Lake | Beltrami | A | 25.2 mi | 15 ft | - |
| 20 | Kabekona Bay Lake | Cass | A | 25.7 mi | 17.2 ft | - |
| 21 | Kesagiagan Lake | Beltrami | A | 26.3 mi | - | - |
| 22 | Lone Lake | Clearwater | A | 26.6 mi | 19.4 ft | - |
| 23 | Round Lake | Beltrami | A | 26.7 mi | 18 ft | - |
| 24 | Green Lake | Beltrami | A | 26.7 mi | 18.5 ft | - |
| 25 | Squaw Smith Lake | Beltrami | A | 26.7 mi | 20 ft | - |
| 26 | Bad Axe Lake | Hubbard | A | 26.9 mi | 15.4 ft | - |
| 27 | Sandy Lake | Beltrami | A | 27.1 mi | 16 ft | - |
| 28 | Island Lake | Beltrami | A | 27.2 mi | 16 ft | - |
| 29 | Skunk Lake | Hubbard | A | 27.4 mi | 17 ft | - |
| 30 | Shemahgun Lake | Beltrami | A | 27.6 mi | 15 ft | - |
Other activities near Bemidji
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.