Best Lakes for Swimming Near Grand Rapids
Minnesota
30 swimming lakes within driving distance of Grand Rapids, Minnesota, ranked by water quality and swimming-specific filters. Filtered for grade A or B water quality, low algae (chlorophyll-a under 15 µg/L), and public access. Always check local advisories on the day you swim.
Within reasonable driving distance of Grand Rapids 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 A.
The swimming-specific ranking layered on top of the LakeGrade rubric is what produces the list below: a grade-good lake that does not also support the swimming use case is less useful than a grade-decent lake that does.
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Little Jay Gould Lake | Itasca | A | 3.9 mi | 21.5 ft | - |
| 2 | Pokegama Lake | Itasca | A | 4.2 mi | 17.5 ft | - |
| 3 | Pokegama Lake | Itasca | A | 4.6 mi | 16 ft | - |
| 4 | Little Bass Lake | Itasca | A | 4.7 mi | 17.7 ft | - |
| 5 | Long Lake | Itasca | A | 5.9 mi | 16.9 ft | - |
| 6 | Trout Lake | Itasca | A | 6 mi | 15.5 ft | - |
| 7 | Siseebakwet Lake | Itasca | A | 8.9 mi | 19 ft | - |
| 8 | South Sugar Lake | Itasca | A | 9.8 mi | 15 ft | - |
| 9 | O'Reilly Lake | Itasca | A | 9.8 mi | 16 ft | - |
| 10 | Mcavity Lake | Itasca | A | 10.1 mi | 17 ft | - |
| 11 | Leighton Lake | Itasca | A | 10.9 mi | 21.7 ft | - |
| 12 | Dunning Lake | Itasca | A | 11.3 mi | 18.5 ft | - |
| 13 | Little Wabana Lake | Itasca | A | 11.5 mi | 23.8 ft | - |
| 14 | Bluewater Lake | Itasca | A | 12.6 mi | 18.5 ft | - |
| 15 | Wabana Lake | Itasca | A | 12.8 mi | 18 ft | - |
| 16 | Shallow Lake | Itasca | A | 13.1 mi | 16.4 ft | - |
| 17 | Chase Lake | Itasca | A | 13.3 mi | 21.7 ft | - |
| 18 | Little Trout Lake | Itasca | A | 13.9 mi | 22 ft | - |
| 19 | Johnson Lake | Itasca | A | 14.6 mi | 15.7 ft | - |
| 20 | Trout Lake | Itasca | A | 15.7 mi | 18 ft | - |
| 21 | Little Long Lake | Itasca | A | 16.1 mi | 16 ft | - |
| 22 | Ball Club Lake | Itasca | A | 20.6 mi | 16 ft | - |
| 23 | Caribou Lake | Itasca | A | 20.7 mi | 31 ft | - |
| 24 | 11-0086-00 Lake | Cass | A | 21.1 mi | 18.5 ft | - |
| 25 | Grave Lake | Cass | A | 21.3 mi | 17.2 ft | - |
| 26 | North Star Lake | Itasca | A | 22.9 mi | 19 ft | - |
| 27 | Big Ole Lake | Itasca | A | 23.1 mi | 21.8 ft | - |
| 28 | Big Island Lake | Itasca | A | 23.4 mi | 16.4 ft | - |
| 29 | Three Island Lake | Itasca | A | 24.2 mi | 29 ft | - |
| 30 | Burns Lake | Itasca | A | 26.8 mi | 16.1 ft | - |
Other activities near Grand Rapids
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.