What is the best boating lake near Oshkosh?

Green Lake in Green Lake County is the top-ranked boating lake near Oshkosh on measured water quality (26.9 miles away).

How many lakes are near Oshkosh for boating?

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

Best Lakes for Boating Near Oshkosh, WI

30 boating lakes within driving distance of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, 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.

Oshkosh sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 30 measured lakes within reach. Green Lake carries the lowest nutrient and algae readings of the cluster.

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	Green Lake	Green Lake	26.9 mi	13.5 ft	236 ft
2	Big Cedar Lake-North Site-Near West Bend	Washington	45.3 mi	11.8 ft	105 ft
3	Rush Lake	Winnebago	15.3 mi	3.2 ft	5 ft
4	Pearl Lake	Waushara	28.9 mi	19 ft	45 ft
5	Elkhart Lake	Sheboygan	29.2 mi	10.5 ft	119 ft
6	White Lake	Waupaca	30.3 mi	5.6 ft	10 ft
7	Long Lake	Fond du Lac	30.6 mi	9.1 ft	47 ft
8	Kettle Moraine Lake	Fond du Lac	30.6 mi	11 ft	30 ft
9	Cedar Lake	Manitowoc	30.9 mi	10.2 ft	21 ft
10	Long Lake	Waushara	31.6 mi	14.5 ft	71 ft
11	Bear Lake	Waupaca	33.3 mi	11 ft	62 ft
12	Lake Morris	Waushara	33.6 mi	11 ft	40 ft
13	Gilbert Lake	Waushara	33.7 mi	12 ft	65 ft
14	Silver Lake	Waushara	34.5 mi	10.2 ft	50 ft
15	White River Flowage Lake	Waushara	35.4 mi	9.3 ft	20 ft
16	Lake Ellen	Sheboygan	37.2 mi	9 ft	42 ft
17	Long Lake	Waupaca	37.8 mi	13 ft	76 ft
18	Tuttle Lake	Marquette	37.8 mi	11.5 ft	33 ft
19	Crystal Lake	Marquette	40.8 mi	16.8 ft	60 ft
20	Random Lake	Sheboygan	44 mi	4.5 ft	22.2 ft
21	Iola Lake	Waupaca	44.6 mi	10 ft	9 ft
22	Hatch Lake	Waupaca	45 mi	8.4 ft	12 ft
23	Pine Lake	Shawano	46.4 mi	10.5 ft	35 ft
24	Pine Lake	Waushara	48.6 mi	10.2 ft	48 ft
25	Lake Emily	Portage	49.9 mi	11 ft	35 ft
26	Lake Emily	Dodge	34.7 mi	3.5 ft	10 ft
27	Little Lake Butte des Morts	Winnebago	13.9 mi	2 ft	18 ft
28	Silver Creek Estuary Lake	Green Lake	23.6 mi	-	236 ft
29	Long Lake	Manitowoc	26.1 mi	1.9 ft	38 ft
30	Little Green Lake	Green Lake	29.7 mi	3.2 ft	28 ft

Other activities near Oshkosh

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Where to stay near Oshkosh

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

Top-rated places to stay near Oshkosh

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.