Best Lakes for Boating Near Detroit Lakes
Minnesota
30 boating lakes within driving distance of Detroit Lakes, Minnesota, 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 Detroit Lakes 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 boating-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 boating use case is less useful than a grade-decent lake that does.
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Detroit Lake | Becker | A | 1.8 mi | 14 ft | 89 ft |
| 2 | Long Lake | Becker | A | 2.2 mi | 19.5 ft | 61 ft |
| 3 | Glawe Lake | Becker | A | 3.1 mi | 10.8 ft | 24 ft |
| 4 | Sallie Lake | Becker | A | 3.7 mi | 13 ft | 50 ft |
| 5 | Floyd Lake | Becker | A | 3.8 mi | 13.1 ft | 34 ft |
| 6 | Little Floyd Lake | Becker | A | 3.9 mi | 11 ft | 34 ft |
| 7 | Tamarac Lake | Becker | A | 4.5 mi | 6.9 ft | 34 ft |
| 8 | Mud Lake | Becker | A | 4.6 mi | 12.5 ft | 34 ft |
| 9 | Pearl Lake | Becker | A | 5.4 mi | 10 ft | 54 ft |
| 10 | Melissa Lake | Becker | A | 5.7 mi | 13.1 ft | 37 ft |
| 11 | Pickerel Lake | Becker | A | 6.6 mi | 18 ft | 74 ft |
| 12 | Mill Lake | Becker | A | 7 mi | 8.5 ft | 10 ft |
| 13 | Maud Lake | Becker | A | 8 mi | 17 ft | 32 ft |
| 14 | Six Lake | Otter Tail | A | 8 mi | 21 ft | 140 ft |
| 15 | Eunice Lake | Becker | A | 8.1 mi | 13.5 ft | 30 ft |
| 16 | Trowbridge Lake | Otter Tail | A | 9.1 mi | 13.5 ft | 76 ft |
| 17 | Little Pelican Lake | Otter Tail | A | 9.1 mi | 11.5 ft | 25 ft |
| 18 | Scalp Lake | Otter Tail | A | 9.3 mi | 20 ft | 90 ft |
| 19 | Wimer Lake | Otter Tail | A | 10 mi | 10.2 ft | 58 ft |
| 20 | Big Cormorant Lake | Becker | A | 10.5 mi | 24.8 ft | 75 ft |
| 21 | Pelican Lake | Otter Tail | A | 11.5 mi | 16.4 ft | 55 ft |
| 22 | Long Lake | Otter Tail | A | 12 mi | 12.3 ft | 128 ft |
| 23 | Franklin Lake | Otter Tail | A | 12.8 mi | 13.1 ft | 48 ft |
| 24 | East Loon Lake | Otter Tail | A | 12.9 mi | 13.5 ft | 105 ft |
| 25 | Ida Lake | Becker | A | 13 mi | 12.1 ft | 20 ft |
| 26 | Little Toad Lake | Becker | A | 13.3 mi | 15 ft | 65 ft |
| 27 | Middle Cormorant Lake | Becker | A | 13.4 mi | 15.1 ft | 40 ft |
| 28 | Sybil Lake | Otter Tail | A | 13.4 mi | 20 ft | 74 ft |
| 29 | Lizzie Lake | Otter Tail | A | 14.7 mi | 16.4 ft | 66 ft |
| 30 | Big Sugar Bush Lake | Becker | A | 15.7 mi | 16.5 ft | 42 ft |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.