Best Lakes for Boating Near Hayward
Wisconsin
20 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: 20 graded lakes within reach, average grade B. Billy Boy Flowage 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 LakeGrade rubric in different ways depending on the use case.
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Billy Boy Flowage Lake | Sawyer | A | 10.4 mi | - | - |
| 2 | Lower Eau Claire Lake | Bayfield | A | 18.2 mi | 18.5 ft | - |
| 3 | Trego Lake | Washburn | A | 19.8 mi | - | - |
| 4 | Middle Eau Claire Lake | Bayfield | A | 20.2 mi | 17.3 ft | - |
| 5 | Upper Eau Claire Lake | Bayfield | A | 20.5 mi | 18.7 ft | - |
| 6 | Namekagon Lake | Bayfield | A | 24.4 mi | - | - |
| 7 | Tiger Cat Flowage Lake | Sawyer | A | 11.6 mi | 10.8 ft | - |
| 8 | Lower Eau Claire Lake | Bayfield | A | 18.8 mi | 14.1 ft | - |
| 9 | Minerva Lake | Burnett | A | 40.4 mi | 10.5 ft | - |
| 10 | Beaver Dam Lake | Barron | A | 41.8 mi | 11 ft | - |
| 11 | Sand Lake | Sawyer | B | 11.3 mi | 9.9 ft | - |
| 12 | Callahan Lake | Sawyer | B | 11.7 mi | 10.6 ft | - |
| 13 | Long Lake | Washburn | B | 22 mi | 9.5 ft | - |
| 14 | Yellow River Flowage Lake | Washburn | B | 23.8 mi | 10 ft | - |
| 15 | Saint Croix Flowage Lake | Douglas | B | 26.2 mi | 10.5 ft | - |
| 16 | Loon Lake | Burnett | B | 33.1 mi | 8.5 ft | - |
| 17 | Inch Lake | Bayfield | B | 34.2 mi | 14.1 ft | - |
| 18 | Island Lake | Rusk | B | 48.1 mi | 7.7 ft | - |
| 19 | Bear Lake | Barron | B | 31 mi | 6.2 ft | - |
| 20 | Nelson Lake | Sawyer | C | 5.7 mi | 5 ft | - |
Other activities near Hayward
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.