What is the best boating lake near Duluth?

Big Lake in Carlton County is the top-ranked boating lake near Duluth on measured water quality (25.7 miles away).

How many lakes are near Duluth for boating?

30 lakes within driving distance of Duluth match the boating filters used on this page.

Best Lakes for Boating Near Duluth, MN

30 boating lakes within driving distance of Duluth, 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 Duluth 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 B.

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	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Big Lake	Carlton	25.7 mi	10 ft	25 ft
2	Park Lake	Carlton	28.5 mi	7 ft	16 ft
3	Nichols Lake	St. Louis	29.7 mi	5.1 ft	31 ft
4	Stewart Lake	Lake	32.2 mi	10 ft	20 ft
5	Murphy Lake	St. Louis	40 mi	6.4 ft	24 ft
6	Cadotte Lake	St. Louis	41.9 mi	10.2 ft	18 ft
7	Pleasant Lake	St. Louis	45.7 mi	10 ft	33 ft
8	Pine Lake	St. Louis	48.7 mi	7.5 ft	14 ft
9	Ely Lake	St. Louis	49.2 mi	17.1 ft	70 ft
10	Amnicon Lake	Douglas	21.2 mi	5 ft	31 ft
11	West Twin Lake	St. Louis	23.2 mi	6.2 ft	18 ft
12	Lake Nebagamon	Douglas	27 mi	7 ft	56 ft
13	Lake Minnesuing	Douglas	27.5 mi	6.2 ft	43 ft
14	Half Moon Lake	Bayfield	36.9 mi	8 ft	10 ft
15	Saint Croix Flowage Lake	Douglas	38.1 mi	10.5 ft	-
16	Long Lake	Bayfield	38.5 mi	16.2 ft	28 ft
17	Elliot Lake	St. Louis	39.7 mi	6.2 ft	13 ft
18	Sand Bar Lake	Bayfield	39.7 mi	19 ft	49 ft
19	Tomahawk Lake	Bayfield	40.1 mi	14 ft	42 ft
20	Eagle Lake	Carlton	40.3 mi	7 ft	35 ft
21	Eagle Lake	Bayfield	40.4 mi	17 ft	52 ft
22	Whitefish Lake	Douglas	41.1 mi	25 ft	102 ft
23	Leader Lake	Douglas	42.6 mi	15.3 ft	56 ft
24	Middle Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	43.5 mi	18.2 ft	66 ft
25	Lower Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	43.7 mi	14.1 ft	41 ft
26	Upper Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	44.4 mi	18.7 ft	92 ft
27	Cranberry Lake	Bayfield	44.7 mi	9 ft	12 ft
28	Red Lake	Douglas	45 mi	12 ft	37 ft
29	Siskiwit Lake	Bayfield	46.1 mi	-	13 ft
30	Gilmore Lake	Washburn	46.5 mi	10 ft	36 ft

Other activities near Duluth

Swimming near Duluth →Fishing near Duluth →Kayaking near Duluth →All lakes near Duluth →

Where to stay near Duluth

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Duluth — book a place close to the best-rated lakes in the area.

Top-rated places to stay near Duluth

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.