Best Lakes for Kayaking Near Milwaukee
Wisconsin
20 kayaking lakes within driving distance of Milwaukee, 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).
Milwaukee sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 20 graded lakes within reach, average grade B. Little Muskego Lake (A) leads the cluster.
The kayaking-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 kayaking use case is less useful than a grade-decent lake that does.
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Little Muskego Lake | Waukesha | A | 14.8 mi | 15.5 ft | - |
| 2 | Spring Lake | Waukesha | A | 24.9 mi | - | - |
| 3 | Lower Nemahbin Lake | Waukesha | A | 26.6 mi | 10.9 ft | - |
| 4 | Okauchee Lake | Waukesha | A | 26.7 mi | 11.3 ft | - |
| 5 | Okauchee Lake | Waukesha | A | 27.7 mi | 12 ft | - |
| 6 | Oconomowoc Lake | Waukesha | A | 28.2 mi | 13 ft | - |
| 7 | Lake Beulah | Walworth | A | 28.4 mi | 10 ft | - |
| 8 | Lake Beulah | Walworth | A | 29.7 mi | 11 ft | - |
| 9 | Fowler Lake | Waukesha | A | 30.1 mi | 14.5 ft | - |
| 10 | Rock Lake | Kenosha | A | 38.6 mi | 10 ft | - |
| 11 | Pewaukee Lake | Waukesha | B | 19.5 mi | 7.5 ft | - |
| 12 | Nagawicka Lake | Waukesha | B | 24.4 mi | 9.5 ft | - |
| 13 | Lower Phantom Lake | Waukesha | B | 25.3 mi | 6.7 ft | - |
| 14 | Pike Lake | Washington | B | 28.6 mi | 7 ft | - |
| 15 | Mill Lake | Walworth | B | 38.4 mi | 7.5 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 | Waubeesee Lake | Racine | C | 20.2 mi | 9.7 ft | - |
| 19 | School Section Lake | Waukesha | C | 30.4 mi | 6.2 ft | - |
| 20 | Blue Spring Lake | Jefferson | C | 37.1 mi | 6 ft | - |
Other activities near Milwaukee
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.