What is the best kayaking lake near Minneapolis?

Snail Lake in Ramsey County is the top-ranked kayaking lake near Minneapolis on measured water quality (9.5 miles away).

How many lakes are near Minneapolis for kayaking?

30 lakes within driving distance of Minneapolis match the kayaking filters used on this page.

Best Lakes for Kayaking Near Minneapolis, MN

30 kayaking lakes within driving distance of Minneapolis, Minnesota, ranked by water quality and kayaking-specific filters. Filtered for favourable clarity and algae readings, public access, and ideal paddling size (30-3,000 acres).

Within reasonable driving distance of Minneapolis sit 30 measured lakes, a lake-dense area that gives residents real choice on any given weekend.

Filtered for kayaking, the nearby-lake list narrows further. kayaking-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	Snail Lake	Ramsey	9.5 mi	11 ft	30 ft
2	Rogers Lake	Dakota	9.6 mi	6.6 ft	8 ft
3	Turtle Lake	Ramsey	10.3 mi	7.5 ft	28 ft
4	Bush Lake	Hennepin	11.3 mi	13 ft	28 ft
5	Otter Lake	Ramsey	14.8 mi	11.5 ft	21 ft
6	White Bear Lake	Washington	15.3 mi	14.4 ft	83 ft
7	Riley Lake	Hennepin	15.8 mi	11.5 ft	49 ft
8	Jane Lake	Washington	16.8 mi	13 ft	39 ft
9	Lac Lavon Lake	Dakota	17.8 mi	12.1 ft	32 ft
10	Minnewashta Lake	Carver	17.9 mi	11.5 ft	70 ft
11	Elmo Lake	Washington	18.6 mi	11.1 ft	140 ft
12	Marion Lake	Dakota	22 mi	7 ft	21 ft
13	Lily Lake	Washington	22.1 mi	10.5 ft	51 ft
14	Piersons Lake	Carver	23.5 mi	9.9 ft	40 ft
15	Big Carnelian Lake	Washington	24.7 mi	14.5 ft	66 ft
16	Square Lake	Washington	25.6 mi	17 ft	68 ft
17	Halfbreed Lake	Washington	25.9 mi	5.2 ft	34 ft
18	Charlotte Lake	Wright	26.3 mi	17.1 ft	46 ft
19	East Twin Lake	Anoka	27.3 mi	10.7 ft	68 ft
20	Spider Lake	Chisago	32 mi	6.5 ft	9 ft
21	Kroon Lake	Chisago	33.2 mi	5.9 ft	30 ft
22	West Hunter Lake	Sherburne	33.8 mi	10.2 ft	6 ft
23	Big Lake	Sherburne	34.6 mi	13.6 ft	48 ft
24	South Lindstrom Lake	Chisago	34.8 mi	5.6 ft	34 ft
25	Birch Lake	Wright	37.2 mi	15 ft	52 ft
26	Ann Lake	Sherburne	37.2 mi	11.5 ft	26 ft
27	Sandy Lake	Sherburne	37.3 mi	14 ft	41 ft
28	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	38.3 mi	17.2 ft	76 ft
29	Ida Lake	Wright	38.5 mi	13.1 ft	60 ft
30	Pine Lake	Polk	39.2 mi	13 ft	34 ft

Other activities near Minneapolis

Swimming near Minneapolis →Fishing near Minneapolis →Boating near Minneapolis →All lakes near Minneapolis →

Where to stay near Minneapolis

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Top-rated places to stay near Minneapolis

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.