What is the best boating lake near Hayward?

Grindstone Lake in Sawyer County is the top-ranked boating lake near Hayward on measured water quality (6.6 miles away).

How many lakes are near Hayward for boating?

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

Best Lakes for Boating Near Hayward, WI

30 boating lakes within driving distance of Hayward, Wisconsin, 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.

Hayward sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 30 measured lakes within reach. Grindstone Lake carries the lowest nutrient and algae readings of 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 water-quality readings in different ways depending on the use case.

#	Lake	County	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Grindstone Lake	Sawyer	6.6 mi	17.4 ft	60 ft
2	Round Lake	Sawyer	7.9 mi	21.1 ft	74 ft
3	Little Round Lake	Sawyer	8.2 mi	17.3 ft	38 ft
4	Lac Courte Oreilles Lake	Sawyer	8.4 mi	12.2 ft	90 ft
5	Osprey Lake	Sawyer	9.3 mi	16 ft	32 ft
6	Whitefish Lake	Sawyer	10.6 mi	13.5 ft	105 ft
7	Sand Lake	Sawyer	11.3 mi	10 ft	50 ft
8	Blueberry Lake	Sawyer	14.5 mi	14.8 ft	29 ft
9	Gaslyn Lake	Burnett	31.3 mi	4.5 ft	12 ft
10	Big Sand Lake	Burnett	38.2 mi	11 ft	55 ft
11	Nelson Lake	Sawyer	5.7 mi	5 ft	-
12	Windigo Lake	Sawyer	5.8 mi	11 ft	51 ft
13	Bean Lake	Washburn	6.6 mi	10 ft	35 ft
14	Lake Placid	Sawyer	9.8 mi	15 ft	30 ft
15	Billy Boy Flowage Lake	Sawyer	10.4 mi	-	46 ft
16	Mud Lake	Sawyer	11.4 mi	10 ft	15 ft
17	Tiger Cat Flowage Lake	Sawyer	11.6 mi	10.8 ft	30 ft
18	Callahan Lake	Sawyer	11.7 mi	10.6 ft	18 ft
19	Stone Lake	Washburn	12.5 mi	23 ft	49 ft
20	Spider Lake	Sawyer	13.9 mi	10.5 ft	64 ft
21	Slim Lake	Washburn	15.3 mi	15.7 ft	42 ft
22	Sissabagama Lake	Sawyer	15.5 mi	8 ft	48 ft
23	Little Sissabagama Lake	Sawyer	16.9 mi	12.2 ft	75 ft
24	Cranberry Lake	Bayfield	17.6 mi	9 ft	12 ft
25	Red Lake	Douglas	17.7 mi	12 ft	37 ft
26	Lost Land Lake	Sawyer	17.7 mi	10 ft	21 ft
27	Lower Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	18.8 mi	14.1 ft	41 ft
28	Teal Lake	Sawyer	19 mi	6.6 ft	31 ft
29	Middle Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	20.2 mi	18.2 ft	66 ft
30	Spooner Lake	Washburn	20.2 mi	6.5 ft	17 ft

Other activities near Hayward

Swimming near Hayward →Fishing near Hayward →Kayaking near Hayward →All lakes near Hayward →

Where to stay near Hayward

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

Top-rated places to stay near Hayward

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.