Best Lakes for Kayaking Near Minocqua
Wisconsin
30 kayaking lakes within driving distance of Minocqua, 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).
Minocqua sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 30 graded lakes within reach, average grade B. Moon Lake (A) leads the cluster.
The kayaking-specific ranking layered on top of the letter grade 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 | Moon Lake | Gogebic | A | 31.9 mi | 18 ft | - |
| 2 | Minocqua Lake | Oneida | B | 1 mi | 14.8 ft | 60 ft |
| 3 | Mid Lake | Oneida | B | 2.6 mi | 7 ft | 12 ft |
| 4 | Blue Lake | Oneida | B | 3 mi | 23 ft | 49 ft |
| 5 | Clear Lake | Oneida | B | 4.7 mi | - | 95 ft |
| 6 | Lower Kaubashine Lake | Oneida | B | 4.7 mi | 13.8 ft | 36 ft |
| 7 | Towanda Lake | Vilas | B | 4.8 mi | 10.5 ft | 27 ft |
| 8 | Big Arbor Vitae Lake | Vilas | B | 5.2 mi | 6 ft | 41 ft |
| 9 | Upper Kaubashine Lake | Oneida | B | 5.7 mi | 19 ft | 56 ft |
| 10 | Lee Lake | Oneida | B | 5.9 mi | 22.5 ft | 44 ft |
| 11 | Little Spider Lake | Vilas | B | 6.9 mi | 16 ft | 23 ft |
| 12 | Hasbrook Lake | Oneida | B | 6.9 mi | 21 ft | 50 ft |
| 13 | Franklin Lake | Oneida | B | 7.1 mi | 16.2 ft | 25 ft |
| 14 | Plummer Lake | Vilas | B | 7.4 mi | 18 ft | 85 ft |
| 15 | Bear Lake | Oneida | B | 8.5 mi | 8 ft | 20 ft |
| 16 | Stearns Lake | Vilas | B | 9 mi | 10 ft | 16 ft |
| 17 | Bearskin Lake | Oneida | B | 9.7 mi | 6 ft | 26 ft |
| 18 | Crawling Stone Lake | Vilas | B | 9.7 mi | 16 ft | 87 ft |
| 19 | Haskell Lake | Vilas | B | 10.1 mi | - | 50 ft |
| 20 | Lake Content | Vilas | B | 10.3 mi | 9 ft | 14 ft |
| 21 | Bobidosh Lake | Vilas | B | 10.4 mi | 14 ft | 33 ft |
| 22 | Great Bass Lake | Oneida | B | 10.7 mi | 10.5 ft | 24 ft |
| 23 | Little Bearskin Lake | Oneida | B | 11.1 mi | 8.3 ft | 27 ft |
| 24 | Pokegama Lake | Vilas | B | 12 mi | - | 65 ft |
| 25 | Alva Lake | Oneida | B | 12.5 mi | 19.5 ft | 43 ft |
| 26 | Plum Lake | Vilas | B | 12.6 mi | 14.2 ft | 57 ft |
| 27 | Tom Doyle Lake | Oneida | B | 12.9 mi | 7 ft | 30 ft |
| 28 | Day Lake | Vilas | B | 13.3 mi | - | 57 ft |
| 29 | Upper Gresham Lake | Vilas | B | 13.4 mi | 11.3 ft | 32 ft |
| 30 | Sugarbush Lake | Vilas | B | 13.6 mi | 16 ft | 29 ft |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.