Best Lakes for Kayaking Near Grand Rapids
Minnesota
30 kayaking lakes within driving distance of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, ranked by water quality and kayaking-specific filters. Filtered for grade A, B, or C water quality, public access, and ideal paddling size (30-3,000 acres).
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 kayaking, the nearby-lake list narrows further. kayaking-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 | Little Jay Gould Lake | Itasca | A | 3.9 mi | 21.5 ft | 56 ft |
| 2 | Little Bass Lake | Itasca | A | 4.7 mi | 17.7 ft | 62 ft |
| 3 | Long Lake | Itasca | A | 5.9 mi | 16.9 ft | 85 ft |
| 4 | Trout Lake | Itasca | A | 6 mi | 16 ft | 135 ft |
| 5 | Rice Lake | Itasca | A | 6.7 mi | 15 ft | 68 ft |
| 6 | Siseebakwet Lake | Itasca | A | 8.9 mi | 19 ft | 105 ft |
| 7 | O'Reilly Lake | Itasca | A | 9.8 mi | 16 ft | 79 ft |
| 8 | Mcavity Lake | Itasca | A | 10.1 mi | 17.3 ft | 29 ft |
| 9 | Leighton Lake | Itasca | A | 10.9 mi | 21.7 ft | 63 ft |
| 10 | Little Wabana Lake | Itasca | A | 11.5 mi | 24 ft | 57 ft |
| 11 | Bluewater Lake | Itasca | A | 12.6 mi | 18.5 ft | 120 ft |
| 12 | Wabana Lake | Itasca | A | 12.8 mi | 18 ft | 115 ft |
| 13 | Shallow Lake | Itasca | A | 13.1 mi | 16.4 ft | 85 ft |
| 14 | Little Trout Lake | Itasca | A | 13.9 mi | 22 ft | 80 ft |
| 15 | Johnson Lake | Itasca | A | 14.6 mi | 15.7 ft | 88 ft |
| 16 | Little Long Lake | Itasca | A | 16.1 mi | 17 ft | 61 ft |
| 17 | Caribou Lake | Itasca | A | 20.7 mi | 31 ft | 152 ft |
| 18 | Grave Lake | Cass | A | 21.3 mi | 17.2 ft | 55 ft |
| 19 | North Star Lake | Itasca | A | 22.9 mi | 19 ft | 90 ft |
| 20 | Big Ole Lake | Itasca | A | 23.1 mi | 21.8 ft | 65 ft |
| 21 | Big Island Lake | Itasca | A | 23.4 mi | 16.4 ft | 42 ft |
| 22 | Three Island Lake | Itasca | A | 24.2 mi | 29 ft | 66 ft |
| 23 | Clubhouse Lake | Itasca | A | 25.5 mi | 18 ft | 103 ft |
| 24 | Burns Lake | Itasca | A | 26.8 mi | 16.1 ft | 100 ft |
| 25 | Thunder Lake | Cass | A | 28.5 mi | 20 ft | 95 ft |
| 26 | Turtle Lake | Itasca | A | 28.6 mi | 17.1 ft | 54 ft |
| 27 | Thunder Lake | Cass | A | 28.8 mi | 16.5 ft | 95 ft |
| 28 | Maple Lake | Itasca | A | 29.4 mi | 15.3 ft | 39 ft |
| 29 | Bass Lake | Cass | A | 30.6 mi | - | 55 ft |
| 30 | Island Lake | Cass | A | 32.1 mi | 15.5 ft | 45 ft |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.