What is the best boating lake near Moorhead?

Turtle Lake in Becker County is the top-ranked boating lake near Moorhead on measured water quality (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 measured lakes, a lake-dense area that gives residents real choice on any given weekend.

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

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