What is the best boating lake near Moorhead?

Turtle Lake in Becker County is the top-ranked boating lake near Moorhead, with a water quality grade of A (28.8 miles away).

How many lakes are near Moorhead for boating?

30 lakes within driving distance of Moorhead match the boating filters used on this page.

Best Lakes for Boating Near Moorhead, MN

30 boating lakes within driving distance of Moorhead, Minnesota, 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.

Within reasonable driving distance of Moorhead sit 30 graded lakes — a lake-dense area that gives residents real choice on any given weekend. The average grade across the nearby set is A.

The boating-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 boating use case is less useful than a grade-decent lake that does.

#	Lake	County	Grade	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Turtle Lake	Becker	A	28.8 mi	23 ft	73 ft
2	Middle Cormorant Lake	Becker	A	32.1 mi	15.1 ft	40 ft
3	Ida Lake	Becker	A	33.3 mi	12.1 ft	20 ft
4	Big Cormorant Lake	Becker	A	34.6 mi	24.8 ft	75 ft
5	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	37.2 mi	16.4 ft	55 ft
6	Maud Lake	Becker	A	38.1 mi	17 ft	32 ft
7	Lizzie Lake	Otter Tail	A	38.9 mi	16.4 ft	66 ft
8	Eunice Lake	Becker	A	39 mi	13.5 ft	30 ft
9	Pearl Lake	Becker	A	39.7 mi	10 ft	54 ft
10	Little Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	A	40.2 mi	11.5 ft	25 ft
11	Franklin Lake	Otter Tail	A	40.5 mi	13.1 ft	48 ft
12	Long Lake	Becker	A	41.6 mi	19.5 ft	61 ft
13	Sallie Lake	Becker	A	42 mi	13 ft	50 ft
14	Mill Lake	Becker	A	42.1 mi	8.5 ft	10 ft
15	Melissa Lake	Becker	A	42.2 mi	13.1 ft	37 ft
16	Tamarac Lake	Becker	A	42.2 mi	6.9 ft	34 ft
17	Mud Lake	Becker	A	42.9 mi	12.5 ft	34 ft
18	Floyd Lake	Becker	A	43.5 mi	13.1 ft	34 ft
19	Lida Lake	Otter Tail	A	43.6 mi	14 ft	58 ft
20	Glawe Lake	Becker	A	43.8 mi	10.8 ft	24 ft
21	Detroit Lake	Becker	A	44.2 mi	14 ft	89 ft
22	Little Floyd Lake	Becker	A	44.2 mi	11 ft	34 ft
23	Trowbridge Lake	Otter Tail	A	45.3 mi	13.5 ft	76 ft
24	Long Lake	Otter Tail	A	45.7 mi	11.6 ft	73 ft
25	Jewett Lake	Otter Tail	A	46.7 mi	17.7 ft	75 ft
26	West Silent Lake	Otter Tail	A	47.5 mi	18 ft	58 ft
27	East Loon Lake	Otter Tail	A	47.7 mi	13.5 ft	105 ft
28	Six Lake	Otter Tail	A	48.1 mi	21 ft	140 ft
29	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	A	48.3 mi	16.5 ft	42 ft
30	Scalp Lake	Otter Tail	A	48.5 mi	20 ft	90 ft

Other activities near Moorhead

Swimming near Moorhead →Fishing near Moorhead →Kayaking near Moorhead →All lakes near Moorhead →

Where to stay near Moorhead

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Moorhead — book a place close to the best-rated lakes in the area.

Top-rated places to stay near Moorhead

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.