What is the best swimming lake near Detroit Lakes?

Long Lake in Becker County is the top-ranked swimming lake near Detroit Lakes, with a water quality grade of A (2.2 miles away).

How many lakes are near Detroit Lakes for swimming?

30 lakes within driving distance of Detroit Lakes match the swimming filters used on this page.

Best Lakes for Swimming Near Detroit Lakes

Minnesota

30 swimming lakes within driving distance of Detroit Lakes, 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.

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.

Filtered for swimming, the nearby-lake list narrows further. swimming-specific signals — fish species, public access, depth profile, motor-boat congestion — interact with the LakeGrade rubric in different ways depending on the use case.

#	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	Pickerel Lake	Becker	A	6.6 mi	18 ft	-
4	Maud Lake	Becker	A	8 mi	15.3 ft	-
5	Six Lake	Otter Tail	A	8 mi	20.2 ft	-
6	Scalp Lake	Otter Tail	A	9.3 mi	20 ft	-
7	Big Cormorant Lake	Becker	A	10.5 mi	24.3 ft	-
8	Rose Lake	Otter Tail	A	11.1 mi	15 ft	-
9	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	11.5 mi	16.1 ft	-
10	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	A	12 mi	17.8 ft	-
11	Bass Lake	Otter Tail	A	12 mi	16.9 ft	-
12	Little Toad Lake	Becker	A	13.3 mi	15 ft	-
13	Middle Cormorant Lake	Becker	A	13.4 mi	15.1 ft	-
14	Sybil Lake	Otter Tail	A	13.4 mi	20 ft	-
15	Otter Lake	Otter Tail	A	13.5 mi	18 ft	-
16	Lizzie Lake	Otter Tail	A	14.7 mi	16.4 ft	-
17	Kerbs Lake	Otter Tail	A	15.1 mi	27.7 ft	-
18	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	A	15.7 mi	17 ft	-
19	Turtle Lake	Becker	A	15.7 mi	23 ft	-
20	Little Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	A	15.7 mi	26.9 ft	-
21	Devil'S Lake	Otter Tail	A	15.9 mi	15 ft	-
22	Big Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	A	17 mi	16.4 ft	-
23	West Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	A	17 mi	16.2 ft	-
24	East Silent Lake	Otter Tail	A	18.3 mi	19.4 ft	-
25	Strawberry Lake	Becker	A	18.6 mi	17.8 ft	-
26	West Silent Lake	Otter Tail	A	18.7 mi	18 ft	-
27	Star Lake	Otter Tail	A	19.9 mi	16.7 ft	-
28	Hospital Lake	Becker	A	20.4 mi	18 ft	-
29	Mule Lake	Otter Tail	A	26.1 mi	17.1 ft	-
30	Juggler Lake	Becker	A	28.5 mi	18 ft	-

Other activities near Detroit Lakes

Fishing near Detroit Lakes →Kayaking near Detroit Lakes →Boating near Detroit Lakes →All lakes near Detroit Lakes →

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.