Safest Lakes to Swim Near Park Rapids
Minnesota
30 lakes within driving distance of Park Rapids, Minnesota pass our swim-safety screen — grade A/B water, low algae, and public access. 1 have direct bacteria (E. coli) testing on record. Filtered for grade A or B water quality, low algae (chlorophyll-a under 15 µg/L), and public access. Always check local advisories on the day you swim.
Within reasonable driving distance of Park Rapids 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 swimming-specific ranking layered on top of the LakeGrade rubric is what produces the list below: a grade-good lake that does not also support the swimming use case is less useful than a grade-decent lake that does.
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Swim Safety | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Peysenske Lake | Hubbard | A | Limited data | 4.2 mi | 15 ft | - |
| 2 | Big Sand Lake | Hubbard | A | Low algae | 6.9 mi | 23 ft | 135 ft |
| 3 | Blue Lake | Hubbard | A | Low algae | 7 mi | 17.3 ft | 84 ft |
| 4 | Belle Taine Lake | Hubbard | A | Low algae | 7.4 mi | 22.8 ft | 56 ft |
| 5 | Little Sand Lake | Hubbard | A | Low algae | 7.5 mi | 20 ft | 80 ft |
| 6 | Emma Lake | Hubbard | A | Low algae | 8.5 mi | 18.5 ft | 50 ft |
| 7 | Ojibway Lake | Hubbard | A | Low algae | 9.8 mi | 15.5 ft | 22 ft |
| 8 | Upper Bottle Lake | Hubbard | A | Low algae | 10.2 mi | 16 ft | 55 ft |
| 9 | Dead Lake | Hubbard | A | Low algae | 10.3 mi | 16 ft | 34 ft |
| 10 | Island Lake | Hubbard | A | Low algae | 10.6 mi | 16.4 ft | 32 ft |
| 11 | Skunk Lake | Hubbard | A | Low algae | 11.6 mi | 16.5 ft | 55 ft |
| 12 | Spider (Ne Lake | Hubbard | A | Low algae | 11.6 mi | 17.1 ft | 96 ft |
| 13 | Spirit Lake | Wadena | A | Low algae | 12 mi | 15.4 ft | 45 ft |
| 14 | Crooked Lake | Hubbard | A | Low algae | 12.3 mi | 19 ft | - |
| 15 | Boot Lake | Becker | A | Low algae | 14.3 mi | 19.5 ft | 109 ft |
| 16 | Waboose Lake | Hubbard | A | Low algae | 14.3 mi | 16.8 ft | 32 ft |
| 17 | Little Mantrap Lake | Hubbard | A | Low algae | 14.5 mi | 17 ft | 54 ft |
| 18 | Beauty Lake | Hubbard | A | Limited data | 17.1 mi | 21 ft | 53 ft |
| 19 | Big Bass Lake | Hubbard | A | Low algae | 18.6 mi | 19.4 ft | 60 ft |
| 20 | Crystal Lake | Cass | A | Low algae | 19.3 mi | 16 ft | 40 ft |
| 21 | Twenty-One Lake | Hubbard | A | Low algae | 19.5 mi | 17 ft | 51.5 ft |
| 22 | Bad Medicine Lake | Becker | A | Low algae | 21.4 mi | 25 ft | 84 ft |
| 23 | Island Lake | Becker | A | Low algae | 22.3 mi | 15 ft | 38 ft |
| 24 | Ten Mile Lake | Cass | A | Low algae | 23 mi | 20.5 ft | 208 ft |
| 25 | Ozawindib Lake | Clearwater | A | Low algae | 23.6 mi | 19 ft | 80 ft |
| 26 | Juggler Lake | Becker | A | Bacteria A | 23.9 mi | 18 ft | 78 ft |
| 27 | Kabekona Bay Lake | Cass | A | Low algae | 24.3 mi | 17.2 ft | 150 ft |
| 28 | Portage Lake | Cass | A | Limited data | 24.6 mi | 21 ft | 84 ft |
| 29 | Little Toad Lake | Becker | A | Low algae | 24.7 mi | 15 ft | 65 ft |
| 30 | Pickerel Lake | Clearwater | A | Low algae | 24.7 mi | 16.1 ft | 60 ft |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.