Best Lakes for Kayaking Near Rhinelander
Wisconsin
30 kayaking lakes within driving distance of Rhinelander, 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).
Rhinelander sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 30 graded lakes within reach, average grade A. Mildred Lake (A) leads the cluster.
The kayaking-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 kayaking use case is less useful than a grade-decent lake that does.
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mildred Lake | Oneida | A | 6.1 mi | 18.5 ft | 45 ft |
| 2 | Squash Lake | Oneida | A | 7.5 mi | 17.4 ft | 74 ft |
| 3 | Alva Lake | Oneida | A | 10 mi | 19.5 ft | 43 ft |
| 4 | Wind Pudding Lake | Oneida | A | 13.4 mi | 19.5 ft | 35 ft |
| 5 | Hodstradt Lake | Oneida | A | 13.8 mi | 17.8 ft | 36 ft |
| 6 | Lake Buteau | Lincoln | A | 13.9 mi | 19.4 ft | 50 ft |
| 7 | Dorothy Lake | Oneida | A | 15.1 mi | 17 ft | 35 ft |
| 8 | Hasbrook Lake | Oneida | A | 16.1 mi | 21 ft | 50 ft |
| 9 | Bird Lake | Oneida | A | 16.4 mi | 17 ft | 40 ft |
| 10 | Clear Lake | Lincoln | A | 16.6 mi | 18 ft | 45 ft |
| 11 | Clearwater Lake | Oneida | A | 17.9 mi | 16.8 ft | 48 ft |
| 12 | Lee Lake | Oneida | A | 18.1 mi | 22.5 ft | 44 ft |
| 13 | Buffalo Lake | Oneida | A | 18.3 mi | 15 ft | 27 ft |
| 14 | Clear Lake | Oneida | A | 18.7 mi | - | 95 ft |
| 15 | Upper Kaubashine Lake | Oneida | A | 19.1 mi | 19 ft | 56 ft |
| 16 | Hemlock Lake | Oneida | A | 20.2 mi | 15 ft | 25 ft |
| 17 | Sunset Lake | Vilas | A | 20.2 mi | 17.5 ft | 30 ft |
| 18 | Bolger Lake | Oneida | A | 20.5 mi | 14.9 ft | 45 ft |
| 19 | Perch Lake | Oneida | A | 20.8 mi | 15 ft | 56 ft |
| 20 | Blue Lake | Oneida | A | 21.6 mi | 23 ft | 49 ft |
| 21 | Greater Bass Lake | Langlade | A | 22.2 mi | - | 25 ft |
| 22 | Tambling Lake | Vilas | A | 23.6 mi | - | 11 ft |
| 23 | Roach Lake | Vilas | A | 24.5 mi | 24 ft | 48 ft |
| 24 | Mercer Lake | Oneida | A | 25.1 mi | - | 23 ft |
| 25 | Lake Metonga | Forest | A | 25.5 mi | 22 ft | 79 ft |
| 26 | Razorback Lake | Vilas | A | 26.7 mi | 15.2 ft | 35 ft |
| 27 | Franklin Lake | Oneida | A | 27 mi | 16.2 ft | 25 ft |
| 28 | Little Spider Lake | Vilas | A | 27.1 mi | 16 ft | 23 ft |
| 29 | Butternut Lake | Forest | A | 28.3 mi | 19.5 ft | 42 ft |
| 30 | Lake Lucerne | Forest | A | 28.7 mi | 18.5 ft | 73 ft |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.