Best Lakes for Boating Near Rochester
Minnesota
26 boating lakes within driving distance of Rochester, 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.
Rochester sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 26 graded lakes within reach, average grade F. Nugget Lake (C) leads the cluster.
Filtered for boating, the nearby-lake list narrows further. boating-specific signals — fish species, public access, depth profile, motor-boat congestion — interact with the letter grade in different ways depending on the use case.
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nugget Lake | Pierce | C | 46.7 mi | 7.5 ft | - |
| 2 | Zumbro Lake | Olmsted | D | 12.4 mi | 4 ft | 43 ft |
| 3 | Winona Lake | Winona | F | 41.5 mi | 2.6 ft | 38 ft |
| 4 | Goose Lake | Goodhue | F | 42.5 mi | 0.4 ft | 5.7 ft |
| 5 | Byllesby Lake | Dakota | F | 42.6 mi | 3 ft | 50 ft |
| 6 | Wells Lake | Rice | F | 46.6 mi | 2 ft | 4 ft |
| 7 | Cannon Lake | Rice | F | 46.6 mi | 4.1 ft | 15 ft |
| 8 | Roberds Lake | Rice | F | 48.1 mi | 2.5 ft | 43 ft |
| 9 | Fox Lake | Rice | F | 49.4 mi | 3 ft | 47 ft |
| 10 | Zumbro Lake | Olmsted | NR | 11.7 mi | - | - |
| 11 | Rice Lake | Steele | NR | 29 mi | - | - |
| 12 | Oak Glen Lake | Steele | NR | 30.5 mi | - | - |
| 13 | West Newton Chute | Wabasha | NR | 33.7 mi | - | - |
| 14 | Pepin Lake | Pepin | NR | 33.9 mi | 3 ft | 60 ft |
| 15 | Third Finger Lake | Wabasha | NR | 34 mi | - | - |
| 16 | Pepin Lake | Pepin | NR | 34.2 mi | 1.5 ft | 60 ft |
| 17 | Rileys Lake | Winona | NR | 39 mi | - | - |
| 18 | Dead Slough Lake | Pierce | NR | 39 mi | - | - |
| 19 | Indian Channel | Winona | NR | 40.4 mi | - | - |
| 20 | Gantenbein Lake | Pierce | NR | 41.9 mi | - | - |
| 21 | Geneva Lake | Freeborn | NR | 42.4 mi | - | - |
| 22 | Silver Birch Lake | Pepin | NR | 46.2 mi | - | - |
| 23 | Twin Lakes | Goodhue | NR | 47.3 mi | - | - |
| 24 | Goose Lake | Waseca | NR | 48 mi | - | - |
| 25 | Watkins Lake | Waseca | NR | 48.5 mi | 3.2 ft | - |
| 26 | Rice Lake | Waseca | NR | 49.7 mi | - | - |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.