Skip to main content
LakeQuality

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.

#LakeCountyGradeDistanceClarityDepth
1Little Bass LakeBeltramiA6 mi16 ft-
229-0237-00 LakeHubbardA7 mi17.1 ft-
3Spearhead LakeHubbardA7.9 mi15 ft-
4Swenson LakeBeltramiA9.1 mi20.8 ft-
5Andrusia LakeBeltramiA10.6 mi15.5 ft-
6Long LakeBeltramiA10.9 mi20 ft-
7Cass Lake Allens BayBeltramiA12.4 mi16.6 ft-
8South Twin LakeBeltramiA15.7 mi16.4 ft-
9North Twin LakeBeltramiA15.8 mi17.4 ft-
10Buzzle LakeBeltramiA15.8 mi17.1 ft-
11Cass LakeBeltramiA16.5 mi18.5 ft-
12Mary LakeHubbardA18.7 mi19.5 ft-
13Gillett LakeHubbardA20.9 mi19 ft-
14Twenty-One LakeHubbardA21.7 mi17 ft-
15Long LakeClearwaterA23.8 mi20 ft-
16Beauty LakeHubbardA24.2 mi21 ft-
17Ozawindib LakeClearwaterA24.8 mi19 ft-
18Heart LakeClearwaterA24.9 mi16 ft-
19Kinney LakeBeltramiA25.2 mi15 ft-
20Kabekona Bay LakeCassA25.7 mi17.2 ft-
21Kesagiagan LakeBeltramiA26.3 mi--
22Lone LakeClearwaterA26.6 mi19.4 ft-
23Round LakeBeltramiA26.7 mi18 ft-
24Green LakeBeltramiA26.7 mi18.5 ft-
25Squaw Smith LakeBeltramiA26.7 mi20 ft-
26Bad Axe LakeHubbardA26.9 mi15.4 ft-
27Sandy LakeBeltramiA27.1 mi16 ft-
28Island LakeBeltramiA27.2 mi16 ft-
29Skunk LakeHubbardA27.4 mi17 ft-
30Shemahgun LakeBeltramiA27.6 mi15 ft-

Other activities near Bemidji

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.