Best Lakes for Boating Near St. Cloud
Minnesota
30 boating lakes within driving distance of St. Cloud, 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.
St. Cloud sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 30 measured lakes within reach. Big Spunk 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 | Big Spunk Lake | Stearns | 15 mi | 10 ft | 38 ft |
| 2 | Big Fish Lake | Stearns | 15 mi | 20 ft | 70 ft |
| 3 | Bass Lake | Wright | 16.8 mi | 13.5 ft | 34 ft |
| 4 | School Section Lake | Stearns | 16.9 mi | 9.8 ft | 14 ft |
| 5 | Clearwater Lake | Wright | 17.9 mi | 9.8 ft | 73 ft |
| 6 | Sugar Lake | Wright | 17.9 mi | 16.5 ft | 69 ft |
| 7 | Pleasant Lake | Wright | 19.8 mi | 11.5 ft | 74 ft |
| 8 | Cedar Lake | Wright | 20.5 mi | 14.3 ft | 108 ft |
| 9 | Ida Lake | Wright | 21.9 mi | 13.1 ft | 60 ft |
| 10 | West Sylvia Lake | Wright | 22 mi | 22 ft | 97 ft |
| 11 | Upper Maple Lake | Wright | 24.7 mi | 17.2 ft | 76 ft |
| 12 | Ann Lake | Sherburne | 24.9 mi | 11.5 ft | 26 ft |
| 13 | Big Lake | Sherburne | 25 mi | 13.6 ft | 48 ft |
| 14 | Pierz Lake | Morrison | 27.8 mi | 9.5 ft | 34 ft |
| 15 | Cedar Lake | Morrison | 28.6 mi | 16.2 ft | 88 ft |
| 16 | Pine Lake | Morrison | 29.2 mi | 15.1 ft | 59 ft |
| 17 | Little Birch Lake | Todd | 34.1 mi | 13 ft | 89 ft |
| 18 | Charlotte Lake | Wright | 34.9 mi | 17.1 ft | 46 ft |
| 19 | Spectacle Lake | Isanti | 36.7 mi | 13.8 ft | 51.5 ft |
| 20 | Long Lake | Kandiyohi | 37.7 mi | 10.5 ft | 46 ft |
| 21 | Minnie-Belle Lake | Meeker | 40.2 mi | 14.4 ft | 49 ft |
| 22 | Sullivan Lake | Morrison | 40.8 mi | 10.8 ft | 57 ft |
| 23 | Crow R Mill Pond | Kandiyohi | 41.6 mi | 7 ft | 14 ft |
| 24 | Green Lake | Kandiyohi | 41.7 mi | 14.1 ft | 110 ft |
| 25 | Outlet of Onamia Lake on the Rum River | Mille Lacs | 42.1 mi | - | 10 ft |
| 26 | George Lake | Kandiyohi | 45.5 mi | 15 ft | 34 ft |
| 27 | Eagle Lake | Kandiyohi | 48.1 mi | 6.9 ft | 67 ft |
| 28 | Florida Lake | Kandiyohi | 48.2 mi | 12.3 ft | 40 ft |
| 29 | Alexander Lake | Morrison | 48.4 mi | 16.5 ft | 64 ft |
| 30 | John Lake | Wright | 20.6 mi | 8 ft | 28 ft |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.