What is the best boating lake near Grand Rapids?

Little Jay Gould Lake in Itasca County is the top-ranked boating lake near Grand Rapids on measured water quality (3.9 miles away).

How many lakes are near Grand Rapids for boating?

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

Best Lakes for Boating Near Grand Rapids, MN

30 boating lakes within driving distance of Grand Rapids, 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.

Grand Rapids sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 30 graded lakes within reach, average grade A. Little Jay Gould 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 letter grade in different ways depending on the use case.

#	Lake	County	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Little Jay Gould Lake	Itasca	3.9 mi	21.5 ft	56 ft
2	Jay Gould Lake	Itasca	4.5 mi	13 ft	33 ft
3	Pokegama Lake	Itasca	4.6 mi	16.1 ft	112 ft
4	Long Lake	Itasca	5.9 mi	16.9 ft	85 ft
5	Siseebakwet Lake	Itasca	8.9 mi	19 ft	105 ft
6	Deer Lake	Itasca	11.4 mi	13.1 ft	121 ft
7	Bluewater Lake	Itasca	12.6 mi	18.5 ft	120 ft
8	Wabana Lake	Itasca	12.8 mi	18 ft	115 ft
9	Shallow Lake	Itasca	13.1 mi	16.4 ft	85 ft
10	Johnson Lake	Itasca	14.6 mi	15.7 ft	88 ft
11	Sugar Lake	Cass	16 mi	13.5 ft	44 ft
12	Swan Lake	Itasca	16.6 mi	13.5 ft	65 ft
13	Helen Lake	Itasca	21 mi	8 ft	33 ft
14	Dead Horse Lake	Itasca	21.4 mi	9.8 ft	30 ft
15	North Star Lake	Itasca	22.9 mi	19 ft	90 ft
16	Little Sand Lake	Cass	22.9 mi	7.5 ft	12 ft
17	Big Ole Lake	Itasca	23.1 mi	21.8 ft	65 ft
18	Island Lake	St. Louis	23.4 mi	14.5 ft	65 ft
19	Big Island Lake	Itasca	23.4 mi	16.4 ft	42 ft
20	Burns Lake	Itasca	26.8 mi	16.1 ft	100 ft
21	Turtle Lake	Itasca	28.6 mi	17.1 ft	54 ft
22	Thunder Lake	Cass	28.8 mi	16.5 ft	95 ft
23	Six Mile Lake	Cass	28.9 mi	11.5 ft	68 ft
24	Maple Lake	Itasca	29.4 mi	15.3 ft	39 ft
25	Upper Trelipe Lake	Cass	29.8 mi	14 ft	69 ft
26	Boy Lake	Cass	30.1 mi	10.5 ft	45 ft
27	Bello Lake	Itasca	31.5 mi	13.1 ft	58 ft
28	Island Lake	Cass	32.1 mi	15.5 ft	45 ft
29	Long Lake	Itasca	32.3 mi	16.7 ft	72 ft
30	Leavitt Lake	Cass	32.6 mi	7.9 ft	60 ft

Other activities near Grand Rapids

Swimming near Grand Rapids →Fishing near Grand Rapids →Kayaking near Grand Rapids →All lakes near Grand Rapids →

Where to stay near Grand Rapids

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

Top-rated places to stay near Grand Rapids

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.