Best Lakes for Boating Near Milwaukee
Wisconsin
30 boating lakes within driving distance of Milwaukee, 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.
Milwaukee sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 30 graded lakes within reach, average grade B. Little Muskego 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 | Little Muskego Lake | Waukesha | A | 14.8 mi | 15.5 ft | - |
| 2 | Lower Nemahbin Lake | Waukesha | A | 26.6 mi | 10.9 ft | - |
| 3 | Okauchee Lake | Waukesha | A | 26.7 mi | 11.3 ft | - |
| 4 | Okauchee Lake | Waukesha | A | 27.7 mi | 12 ft | - |
| 5 | Oconomowoc Lake | Waukesha | A | 28.2 mi | 13 ft | - |
| 6 | Lake Beulah | Walworth | A | 28.4 mi | 10 ft | - |
| 7 | Lake Beulah | Walworth | A | 29.7 mi | 11 ft | - |
| 8 | Pewaukee Lake | Waukesha | B | 19.5 mi | 7.5 ft | - |
| 9 | Nagawicka Lake | Waukesha | B | 24.4 mi | 9.5 ft | - |
| 10 | Lower Phantom Lake | Waukesha | B | 25.3 mi | 6.7 ft | - |
| 11 | Pike Lake | Washington | B | 28.6 mi | 7 ft | - |
| 12 | Mill Lake | Walworth | B | 38.4 mi | 7.5 ft | - |
| 13 | Delavan Lake | Walworth | B | 45.5 mi | - | - |
| 14 | Long Lake | Fond du Lac | B | 45.7 mi | 9.1 ft | - |
| 15 | Round Lake | Lake | B | 47.4 mi | 7.4 ft | - |
| 16 | Okauchee Lake-Site No. 2-at Okauchee | Waukesha | B | 27.7 mi | 5.9 ft | - |
| 17 | Eagle Spring Lake | Waukesha | B | 29.8 mi | 4.3 ft | - |
| 18 | Delavan Lake | Walworth | B | 45.5 mi | 9.3 ft | - |
| 19 | Delavan Lake | Walworth | B | 48.1 mi | 9.1 ft | - |
| 20 | Waubeesee Lake | Racine | C | 20.2 mi | 9.7 ft | - |
| 21 | School Section Lake | Waukesha | C | 30.4 mi | 6.2 ft | - |
| 22 | Blue Spring Lake | Jefferson | C | 37.1 mi | 6 ft | - |
| 23 | Whitewater Lake | Walworth | C | 44.5 mi | 4 ft | - |
| 24 | Delavan Lake | Walworth | C | 46.8 mi | 8 ft | - |
| 25 | Delavan Lake | Walworth | C | 47 mi | 10 ft | - |
| 26 | Wind Lake | Racine | D | 19.3 mi | 9.5 ft | - |
| 27 | Wind Lake | Racine | D | 19.3 mi | 8.5 ft | - |
| 28 | Vern Wolf Lake | Kenosha | D | 30.5 mi | 6.5 ft | - |
| 29 | Rice Lake | Walworth | D | 44.1 mi | 1.5 ft | - |
| 30 | Eagle Lake | Racine | F | 25.7 mi | 1.5 ft | - |
Other activities near Milwaukee
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.