Best Lakes for Boating Near Cleveland
Ohio
28 boating lakes within driving distance of Cleveland, Ohio, ranked by water quality and boating-specific filters. Filtered for at least 100 acres and public access. The largest lakes with boat-worthy water are listed first.
Within reasonable driving distance of Cleveland sit 28 measured lakes, a lake-dense area that gives residents real choice on any given weekend.
The boating-specific ranking layered on top of the readings is what produces the list below: a lake with clean readings that does not also support the boating use case is less useful than a decent one that does.
| # | Lake | County | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aurora Pond | Portage | 19.8 mi | - | - |
| 2 | Lake Medina | Medina | 25.4 mi | - | - |
| 3 | Akron City Reservoir | Geauga | 26.9 mi | - | - |
| 4 | Lake Rockwell | Portage | 28.9 mi | - | - |
| 5 | Barberton Reservoir | Summit | 29.5 mi | - | - |
| 6 | Lake Pippen | Portage | 29.9 mi | - | - |
| 7 | East Branch Reservoir | Geauga | 31 mi | - | - |
| 8 | Chippewa Lake | Medina | 31.9 mi | - | - |
| 9 | Muddy Lake | Portage | 33 mi | - | - |
| 10 | Long Lake Channel | Summit | 34.7 mi | - | - |
| 11 | Mogadore Reservoir | Portage | 34.9 mi | - | - |
| 12 | Springfield Lake | Summit | 35.1 mi | - | - |
| 13 | Hower Lake | Summit | 35.4 mi | - | - |
| 14 | Portage Lakes | Summit | 36.4 mi | - | - |
| 15 | Michael J Kirwan Reservoir | Portage | 36.7 mi | - | - |
| 16 | Wingfoot Lake | Portage | 37.7 mi | - | - |
| 17 | Rex Lake | Summit | 37.7 mi | - | - |
| 18 | Nimisila Reservoir | Summit | 39.6 mi | - | - |
| 19 | Congress Lake | Stark | 40.4 mi | - | - |
| 20 | Dale Walborn Reservoir | Stark | 45.1 mi | - | - |
| 21 | Lake Cable | Stark | 45.7 mi | - | - |
| 22 | Lake Roaming Rock | Ashtabula | 45.9 mi | - | - |
| 23 | Lake Milton | Mahoning | 46.5 mi | - | - |
| 24 | Deer Creek Reservoir | Stark | 46.8 mi | - | - |
| 25 | Berlin Lake | Portage | 47.7 mi | - | - |
| 26 | New London Upground Reservoir | Huron | 48.3 mi | - | - |
| 27 | Meyers Lake | Stark | 49.4 mi | - | - |
| 28 | Mosquito Creek Lake | Trumbull | 49.5 mi | - | - |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.