Best Lakes for Kayaking Near Detroit Lakes
Minnesota
30 kayaking lakes within driving distance of Detroit Lakes, 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).
Detroit Lakes sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 30 graded lakes within reach, average grade A. Long Lake (A) leads the cluster.
The kayaking-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 kayaking use case is less useful than a grade-decent lake that does.
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Long Lake | Becker | A | 2.2 mi | 19.3 ft | 61 ft |
| 2 | Long Lake | Becker | A | 2.6 mi | 15.1 ft | 61 ft |
| 3 | Pickerel Lake | Becker | A | 6.6 mi | 18 ft | 74 ft |
| 4 | Maud Lake | Becker | A | 8 mi | 17 ft | 32 ft |
| 5 | Six Lake | Otter Tail | A | 8 mi | 21 ft | 140 ft |
| 6 | Scalp Lake | Otter Tail | A | 9.3 mi | 20 ft | 90 ft |
| 7 | Rose Lake | Otter Tail | A | 11.1 mi | 16 ft | 137 ft |
| 8 | Fish Lake | Otter Tail | A | 12 mi | 18 ft | 69 ft |
| 9 | Little Toad Lake | Becker | A | 13.3 mi | 15 ft | 65 ft |
| 10 | Middle Cormorant Lake | Becker | A | 13.4 mi | 15.1 ft | 40 ft |
| 11 | Sybil Lake | Otter Tail | A | 13.4 mi | 20 ft | 74 ft |
| 12 | Otter Lake | Otter Tail | A | 13.5 mi | 18 ft | 64 ft |
| 13 | Lizzie Lake | Otter Tail | A | 14.7 mi | 16.4 ft | 66 ft |
| 14 | Big Sugar Bush Lake | Becker | A | 15.7 mi | 16.5 ft | 42 ft |
| 15 | Turtle Lake | Becker | A | 15.7 mi | 23 ft | 73 ft |
| 16 | Little Mcdonald Lake | Otter Tail | A | 15.7 mi | 26.5 ft | 109 ft |
| 17 | Island Lake | Becker | A | 16.6 mi | 15 ft | 38 ft |
| 18 | Big Mcdonald Lake | Otter Tail | A | 17 mi | 17.4 ft | 46 ft |
| 19 | West Mcdonald Lake | Otter Tail | A | 17 mi | 16.2 ft | 62 ft |
| 20 | East Silent Lake | Otter Tail | A | 18.3 mi | 19.2 ft | 48 ft |
| 21 | Strawberry Lake | Becker | A | 18.6 mi | 17.5 ft | 40 ft |
| 22 | West Silent Lake | Otter Tail | A | 18.7 mi | 18 ft | 58 ft |
| 23 | White Earth Lake | Becker | A | 22.3 mi | 15 ft | 120 ft |
| 24 | Mule Lake | Otter Tail | A | 26.1 mi | 17.1 ft | 31 ft |
| 25 | Juggler Lake | Becker | A | 28.5 mi | 18 ft | 78 ft |
| 26 | Pickerel Lake | Clearwater | A | 29.4 mi | 16.1 ft | 60 ft |
| 27 | Jewett Lake | Otter Tail | A | 29.7 mi | 17.7 ft | 75 ft |
| 28 | Little Bass Lake | Clearwater | A | 29.8 mi | - | 35 ft |
| 29 | Bad Medicine Lake | Becker | A | 30.4 mi | 25 ft | 84 ft |
| 30 | Boot Lake | Becker | A | 32.3 mi | 19.5 ft | 109 ft |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.