Best Lakes for Boating Near Ely
Minnesota
30 boating lakes within driving distance of Ely, 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.
Ely sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 30 graded lakes within reach, average grade A. Miner'S Pit West Lake (A) leads the cluster.
Filtered for boating, the nearby-lake list narrows further. boating-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 | Miner'S Pit West Lake | St. Louis | A | 0.6 mi | 23.1 ft | 140 ft |
| 2 | Little Long Lake | St. Louis | A | 2.7 mi | 21 ft | 45 ft |
| 3 | Burntside Lake | St. Louis | A | 6 mi | 16 ft | 126 ft |
| 4 | Armstrong Lake | St. Louis | A | 10.4 mi | 16.2 ft | 34 ft |
| 5 | Eagles Nest Lake | St. Louis | A | 12 mi | 15.5 ft | 49 ft |
| 6 | Tofte Lake | Lake | A | 14.3 mi | 18.5 ft | 73 ft |
| 7 | Snowbank Lake | Lake | A | 21.4 mi | 15.1 ft | 150 ft |
| 8 | St James Pit Lake | St. Louis | A | 30.7 mi | 47.6 ft | 381 ft |
| 9 | Lost Lake | St. Louis | A | 39.4 mi | 23 ft | 44 ft |
| 10 | Hanson Lake | Lake | A | 39.9 mi | 18 ft | 100 ft |
| 11 | Ely Lake | St. Louis | A | 43 mi | 17.1 ft | 70 ft |
| 12 | Swamp Lake | Unknown | A | 43.1 mi | 16.2 ft | 50 ft |
| 13 | Round Lake | Cook | A | 49.1 mi | 16.5 ft | 45 ft |
| 14 | East Twin Lake | St. Louis | A | 5.8 mi | 13.1 ft | 51 ft |
| 15 | Fenske Lake | St. Louis | A | 6.5 mi | 11.5 ft | 43 ft |
| 16 | Bear Head Lake | St. Louis | A | 12.9 mi | 11 ft | 46 ft |
| 17 | Whitewater Lake | St. Louis | A | 30.5 mi | 14 ft | 73 ft |
| 18 | Dumbbell Lake | Lake | A | 34.2 mi | 14.8 ft | 40 ft |
| 19 | Cadotte Lake | St. Louis | A | 36.2 mi | 10.2 ft | 18 ft |
| 20 | Wilson Lake | Lake | A | 40 mi | 10.7 ft | 53 ft |
| 21 | Pleasant Lake | St. Louis | A | 45.2 mi | 10 ft | 33 ft |
| 22 | Sea Gull Lake | Cook | A | 47.5 mi | 14.3 ft | 40 ft |
| 23 | White Lake | St. Louis | A | 47.7 mi | 11.5 ft | 29 ft |
| 24 | Stewart Lake | Lake | A | 49.8 mi | 10 ft | 20 ft |
| 25 | Shagawa Lake | St. Louis | B | 0.9 mi | 8.9 ft | 48 ft |
| 26 | Low Lake | St. Louis | B | 5.3 mi | 8.7 ft | 40 ft |
| 27 | Everett Lake | St. Louis | B | 6 mi | 7 ft | 15 ft |
| 28 | Wolf Lake | St. Louis | B | 7.3 mi | 9 ft | 28 ft |
| 29 | Clear Lake | St. Louis | B | 9.6 mi | 11 ft | 24 ft |
| 30 | Bear Island Lake | St. Louis | B | 10.2 mi | 7 ft | 62 ft |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.