What is the best boating lake near Fargo?

Turtle Lake in Becker County is the top-ranked boating lake near Fargo on measured water quality (29.9 miles away).

How many lakes are near Fargo for boating?

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

Best Lakes for Boating Near Fargo, ND

30 boating lakes within driving distance of Fargo, North Dakota, 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 Fargo sit 30 measured lakes, a lake-dense area that gives residents real choice on any given weekend.

Filtered for boating, the nearby-lake list narrows further. boating-specific signals, fish species, public access, depth profile, motor-boat congestion, interact with the water-quality readings in different ways depending on the use case.

#	Lake	County	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Turtle Lake	Becker	29.9 mi	23 ft	73 ft
2	Middle Cormorant Lake	Becker	33.1 mi	15.1 ft	40 ft
3	Ida Lake	Becker	34.4 mi	12.1 ft	20 ft
4	Big Cormorant Lake	Becker	35.7 mi	24.8 ft	75 ft
5	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	38.3 mi	16.4 ft	55 ft
6	Maud Lake	Becker	39.1 mi	17 ft	32 ft
7	Lizzie Lake	Otter Tail	39.9 mi	16.4 ft	66 ft
8	Eunice Lake	Becker	40.1 mi	13.5 ft	30 ft
9	Pearl Lake	Becker	40.8 mi	10 ft	54 ft
10	Little Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	41.2 mi	11.5 ft	25 ft
11	Franklin Lake	Otter Tail	41.5 mi	13.1 ft	48 ft
12	Long Lake	Becker	42.7 mi	19.5 ft	61 ft
13	Sallie Lake	Becker	43.1 mi	13 ft	50 ft
14	Mill Lake	Becker	43.2 mi	8.5 ft	10 ft
15	Melissa Lake	Becker	43.3 mi	13.1 ft	37 ft
16	Tamarac Lake	Becker	43.3 mi	6.9 ft	34 ft
17	Mud Lake	Becker	43.9 mi	12.5 ft	34 ft
18	Floyd Lake	Becker	44.5 mi	13.1 ft	34 ft
19	Lida Lake	Otter Tail	44.6 mi	14 ft	58 ft
20	Glawe Lake	Becker	44.8 mi	10.8 ft	24 ft
21	Little Floyd Lake	Becker	45.2 mi	11 ft	34 ft
22	Detroit Lake	Becker	45.3 mi	14 ft	89 ft
23	Trowbridge Lake	Otter Tail	46.4 mi	13.5 ft	76 ft
24	Long Lake	Otter Tail	46.6 mi	11.6 ft	73 ft
25	Jewett Lake	Otter Tail	47.7 mi	17.7 ft	75 ft
26	West Silent Lake	Otter Tail	48.6 mi	18 ft	58 ft
27	East Loon Lake	Otter Tail	48.8 mi	13.5 ft	105 ft
28	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	49.2 mi	16.5 ft	42 ft
29	Six Lake	Otter Tail	49.2 mi	21 ft	140 ft
30	Scalp Lake	Otter Tail	49.6 mi	20 ft	90 ft

Other activities near Fargo

Swimming near Fargo →Fishing near Fargo →Kayaking near Fargo →All lakes near Fargo →

Where to stay near Fargo

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

Top-rated places to stay near Fargo

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.