Best Lakes for Kayaking Near Hayward
Wisconsin
22 kayaking lakes within driving distance of Hayward, Wisconsin, 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).
Within reasonable driving distance of Hayward sit 22 graded lakes — a lake-dense area that gives residents real choice on any given weekend. The average grade across the nearby set is B.
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 | Lower Eau Claire Lake | Bayfield | A | 18.2 mi | 18.5 ft | - |
| 2 | Trego Lake | Washburn | A | 19.8 mi | - | - |
| 3 | Middle Eau Claire Lake | Bayfield | A | 20.2 mi | 17.3 ft | - |
| 4 | Upper Eau Claire Lake | Bayfield | A | 20.5 mi | 18.7 ft | - |
| 5 | Tiger Cat Flowage Lake | Sawyer | A | 11.6 mi | 10.8 ft | - |
| 6 | Lower Eau Claire Lake | Bayfield | A | 18.8 mi | 14.1 ft | - |
| 7 | Sand Lake | Sawyer | B | 11.3 mi | 9.9 ft | - |
| 8 | Callahan Lake | Sawyer | B | 11.7 mi | 10.6 ft | - |
| 9 | Yellow River Flowage Lake | Washburn | B | 23.8 mi | 10 ft | - |
| 10 | Saint Croix Flowage Lake | Douglas | B | 26.2 mi | 10.5 ft | - |
| 11 | Loon Lake | Burnett | B | 33.1 mi | 8.5 ft | - |
| 12 | Inch Lake | Bayfield | B | 34.2 mi | 14.1 ft | - |
| 13 | Bear Lake | Barron | B | 31 mi | 6.2 ft | - |
| 14 | Nelson Lake | Sawyer | C | 5.7 mi | 5 ft | - |
| 15 | Spooner Lake | Washburn | C | 20.2 mi | 6.5 ft | - |
| 16 | Birch Lake | Washburn | C | 23.8 mi | 5.5 ft | - |
| 17 | Murphy Flowage Lake | Rusk | C | 30.3 mi | - | - |
| 18 | Webb Lake | Burnett | C | 31.3 mi | 8 ft | - |
| 19 | Flynn Lake | Bayfield | C | 33.7 mi | 9 ft | - |
| 20 | Moose Lake | Sawyer | C | 19.9 mi | 2 ft | - |
| 21 | Minong Flowage Lake | Washburn | C | 23.2 mi | 3.5 ft | - |
| 22 | Rice Lake | Barron | C | 36.9 mi | 4.1 ft | - |
Other activities near Hayward
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.