Best Lakes for Kayaking Near Detroit Lakes
Minnesota
20 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: 20 graded lakes within reach, average grade B. 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 | 20 ft | - |
| 2 | Long Lake | Becker | A | 2.6 mi | 15.1 ft | - |
| 3 | Rose Lake | Otter Tail | A | 11.1 mi | 15 ft | - |
| 4 | Little Toad Lake | Becker | A | 13.3 mi | 15 ft | - |
| 5 | West Mcdonald Lake | Otter Tail | A | 17 mi | 16.2 ft | - |
| 6 | Round Lake | Becker | A | 20.6 mi | 10.8 ft | - |
| 7 | White Earth Lake | Becker | A | 22.3 mi | 14.5 ft | - |
| 8 | Many Point Lake | Becker | A | 22.8 mi | 10.7 ft | - |
| 9 | Little Bemidji Lake | Becker | A | 23.2 mi | 12.1 ft | - |
| 10 | Blanche Lake | Otter Tail | A | 33.4 mi | 12.5 ft | - |
| 11 | Potato Lake | Hubbard | A | 39.8 mi | 12 ft | - |
| 12 | Muskrat Lake | Becker | B | 2.8 mi | 11.5 ft | - |
| 13 | Mill Lake | Becker | B | 7 mi | 8.5 ft | - |
| 14 | Prairie Lake | Otter Tail | B | 18.5 mi | 8.9 ft | - |
| 15 | Straight Lake | Becker | B | 28.3 mi | 8 ft | - |
| 16 | Two Inlets Lake | Becker | B | 34 mi | 9.5 ft | - |
| 17 | Little Pine Lake | Otter Tail | B | 19 mi | 9.5 ft | - |
| 18 | Portage Lake | Hubbard | C | 36.1 mi | 5.7 ft | - |
| 19 | Potato Lake | Hubbard | C | 39.3 mi | 7 ft | - |
| 20 | St. Clair Lake | Becker | C | 1.9 mi | 4.6 ft | - |
Other activities near Detroit Lakes
Swimming near Detroit Lakes →Fishing near Detroit Lakes →Boating near Detroit Lakes →All lakes near Detroit Lakes →
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.