Is it safe to swim in lakes near Minneapolis?

That is a call for Minnesota's water agency and the county health department, who post current advisories. 27 lakes within driving distance of Minneapolis pass the low-algae screen (favourable clarity and nutrient readings, chlorophyll-a under 15 µg/L, public access). The top pick on those readings is Lost Lake in Hennepin County, 8.2 miles away. Bacteria can spike after heavy rain, so always check the current advisories before you swim.

Which lakes near Minneapolis have bacteria testing?

2 of the swim lakes near Minneapolis carry a historical bacteria (E. coli or fecal coliform) reading from EPA Water Quality Portal sampling — shown in the Bacteria column. The rest are screened on water clarity and algae because they lack enough recent bacteria samples.

What is the cleanest swimming lake near Minneapolis?

Lost Lake (Hennepin County) is the cleanest swim lake near Minneapolis on measured clarity and nutrients, with 3.2 ft of water clarity.

Swimming Lakes Near Minneapolis, MN: Clarity, Algae and Bacteria Readings (2026)

27 lakes within driving distance of Minneapolis, Minnesota pass the low-algae screen — favourable clarity and nutrient readings, low algae, and public access. 2 have direct bacteria (E. coli) testing on record. Filtered for the clearest, lowest-nutrient readings in the sampling record, low algae (chlorophyll-a under 15 µg/L), and public access. Not a swimming clearance: always check local advisories on the day you swim.

Minneapolis sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 27 measured lakes within reach. Lost Lake carries the lowest nutrient and algae readings of the cluster.

The swimming-specific ranking layered on top of the readings is what produces the list below: a lake with clean readings that does not also support the swimming use case is less useful than a decent one that does.

#	Lake	County	Bacteria	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Lost Lake	Hennepin	Low algae	8.2 mi	3.2 ft	6 ft
2	Snail Lake	Ramsey	Low algae	9.5 mi	11 ft	30 ft
3	Rogers Lake	Dakota	Limited data	9.6 mi	6.6 ft	8 ft
4	Turtle Lake	Ramsey	Bacteria tested: low	10.3 mi	7.5 ft	28 ft
5	Bush Lake	Hennepin	Limited data	11.3 mi	13 ft	28 ft
6	Otter Lake	Ramsey	Low algae	14.8 mi	11.5 ft	21 ft
7	White Bear Lake	Washington	Bacteria tested: exceedances	15.3 mi	14.4 ft	83 ft
8	Riley Lake	Hennepin	Low algae	15.8 mi	11.5 ft	49 ft
9	Jane Lake	Washington	Limited data	16.8 mi	13 ft	39 ft
10	Lac Lavon Lake	Dakota	Limited data	17.8 mi	12.1 ft	32 ft
11	Minnewashta Lake	Carver	Limited data	17.9 mi	11.5 ft	70 ft
12	Elmo Lake	Washington	Limited data	18.6 mi	11.1 ft	140 ft
13	Round Lake	Anoka	Low algae	18.7 mi	8.9 ft	-
14	St Joe Lake	Carver	Limited data	18.9 mi	8.4 ft	52 ft
15	Grass Lake	Anoka	Low algae	19.6 mi	4.3 ft	-
16	Netta Lake	Anoka	Low algae	20.8 mi	11.3 ft	-
17	Fireman'S Lake	Carver	Low algae	21 mi	10.7 ft	23 ft
18	Marion Lake	Dakota	Limited data	22 mi	7 ft	21 ft
19	Lily Lake	Washington	Limited data	22.1 mi	10.5 ft	51 ft
20	Howard Lake	Anoka	Low algae	22.4 mi	3.3 ft	-
21	Piersons Lake	Carver	Limited data	23.5 mi	9.9 ft	40 ft
22	Big Carnelian Lake	Washington	Limited data	24.7 mi	14.5 ft	66 ft
23	Big Marine Lake	Washington	Low algae	25.2 mi	12 ft	-
24	Square Lake	Washington	Low algae	25.6 mi	17 ft	68 ft
25	Halfbreed Lake	Washington	Limited data	25.9 mi	5.2 ft	34 ft
26	Charlotte Lake	Wright	Low algae	26.3 mi	17.1 ft	46 ft
27	East Twin Lake	Anoka	Low algae	27.3 mi	10.7 ft	68 ft

Other activities near Minneapolis

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.