Best Lakes Near St. Cloud, MN, 50 Lakes Within 50 Miles

50 lakes within 50 miles of St. Cloud have nutrient and algae readings on record. Unnamed Lake in Sherburne County leads the set on measured water quality, with about 13 ft of clarity. 42 of the 50 have a recorded public access point.

Within reasonable driving distance of St. Cloud sit 50 measured lakes, a lake-dense area that gives residents real choice on any given weekend.

The lakes below are sorted on measured water quality. If you have a specific activity in mind, swimming, kayaking, ice-fishing, family-fishing, the activity-specific sub-pages will filter further.

Lakes Within 50 mi

With Clarity Readings

With Fish Data

Public Access

Lake	Distance	County	Clarity	Depth	Fish
Unnamed Lake	7.6 mi	Sherburne	13 ft	43 ft	7
Pickerel Lake	8 mi	Sherburne	10.5 ft	21 ft	9
Long Lake	9.7 mi	Stearns	13.5 ft	28 ft	5
Crooked Lake	12.1 mi	Stearns	15.5 ft	35 ft	10
Nixon Lake	14.9 mi	Wright	13.1 ft	67 ft	9
Big Spunk Lake	15 mi	Stearns	10 ft	38 ft	19
Big Fish Lake	15 mi	Stearns	20 ft	70 ft	15
Bass Lake	16.8 mi	Wright	13.5 ft	34 ft	14
School Section Lake	16.9 mi	Stearns	9.8 ft	14 ft	8
Ember Lake	17.7 mi	Wright	15.1 ft	45 ft	9
Clearwater Lake	17.9 mi	Wright	9.8 ft	73 ft	17
Sugar Lake	17.9 mi	Wright	16.5 ft	69 ft	16
Pleasant Lake	19.8 mi	Wright	11.5 ft	74 ft	15
Cedar Lake	20.5 mi	Wright	14.3 ft	108 ft	16
East Sylvia Lake	21.6 mi	Wright	21 ft	78 ft	14
Ida Lake	21.9 mi	Wright	13.1 ft	60 ft	10
West Sylvia Lake	22 mi	Wright	22 ft	97 ft	15
Birch Lake	22.9 mi	Wright	15 ft	52 ft	9
Moose Lake	23.7 mi	Wright	14.4 ft	43 ft	11
Upper Maple Lake	24.7 mi	Wright	17.2 ft	76 ft	15
Mitchell Lake	24.7 mi	Sherburne	10 ft	33 ft	13
Ann Lake	24.9 mi	Sherburne	11.5 ft	26 ft	10
Big Lake	25 mi	Sherburne	13.6 ft	48 ft	14
Pierz Lake	27.8 mi	Morrison	9.5 ft	34 ft	16
Cedar Lake	28.6 mi	Morrison	16.2 ft	88 ft	14
Pine Lake	29.2 mi	Morrison	15.1 ft	59 ft	12
Pulaski Lake	29.3 mi	Wright	18 ft	-	0
Sandy Lake	31.6 mi	Sherburne	14 ft	41 ft	7
West Hunter Lake	32.4 mi	Sherburne	10.2 ft	6 ft	1
East Hunter Lake	32.6 mi	Sherburne	12.5 ft	7 ft	2
Little Birch Lake	34.1 mi	Todd	13 ft	89 ft	20
Charlotte Lake	34.9 mi	Wright	17.1 ft	46 ft	10
East Twin Lake	35.7 mi	Anoka	10.7 ft	68 ft	12
Spectacle Lake	36.7 mi	Isanti	13.8 ft	51.5 ft	12
Long Lake	37.7 mi	Kandiyohi	10.5 ft	46 ft	15
Minnie-Belle Lake	40.2 mi	Meeker	14.4 ft	49 ft	14
Sullivan Lake	40.8 mi	Morrison	10.8 ft	57 ft	18
Crow R Mill Pond	41.6 mi	Kandiyohi	7 ft	14 ft	13
Green Lake	41.7 mi	Kandiyohi	14.1 ft	110 ft	22
Outlet of Onamia Lake on the Rum River	42.1 mi	Mille Lacs	—	10 ft	0
Grass Lake	42.2 mi	Anoka	4.3 ft	-	0
Elkhorn Lake	45 mi	Kandiyohi	14 ft	41 ft	15
Round Lake	45.1 mi	Anoka	8.9 ft	-	0
George Lake	45.5 mi	Kandiyohi	15 ft	34 ft	15
Henderson Lake	46.3 mi	Kandiyohi	13.5 ft	57 ft	10
Eagle Lake	48.1 mi	Kandiyohi	6.9 ft	67 ft	17
Florida Lake	48.2 mi	Kandiyohi	12.3 ft	40 ft	18
Alexander Lake	48.4 mi	Morrison	16.5 ft	64 ft	19
Pomerleau Lake	48.8 mi	Hennepin	10.3 ft	26 ft	5
John Lake	20.6 mi	Wright	8 ft	28 ft	13

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Cleanest Lakes Near St. Cloud

Unnamed Lake

7.6 mi · Sherburne County · 13 ft clarity

Pickerel Lake

8 mi · Sherburne County · 10.5 ft clarity

Long Lake

9.7 mi · Stearns County · 13.5 ft clarity

Crooked Lake

12.1 mi · Stearns County · 15.5 ft clarity

Nixon Lake

14.9 mi · Wright County · 13.1 ft clarity

Big Spunk Lake

15 mi · Stearns County · 10 ft clarity

Plan a lake trip in Minnesota

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes are near St. Cloud?

There are 50 lakes with water-quality readings on record within 50 miles of St. Cloud, Minnesota. 42 of them have a recorded public access point and 49 have a clarity reading.

What are the best lakes near St. Cloud for fishing?

46 lakes near St. Cloud have documented fish species data. The best fishing lakes combine favourable water-quality readings with diverse fish populations. 44 lakes within 50 miles have 5 or more documented fish species.

Where to stay near St. Cloud

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near St. Cloud — book a place close to the cleanest lakes in the area.

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.