What is the best kayaking lake near St. Cloud?

Crooked Lake in Stearns County is the top-ranked kayaking lake near St. Cloud on measured water quality (12.1 miles away).

How many lakes are near St. Cloud for kayaking?

30 lakes within driving distance of St. Cloud match the kayaking filters used on this page.

Best Lakes for Kayaking Near St. Cloud, MN

30 kayaking lakes within driving distance of St. Cloud, Minnesota, ranked by water quality and kayaking-specific filters. Filtered for favourable clarity and algae readings, public access, and ideal paddling size (30-3,000 acres).

Within reasonable driving distance of St. Cloud sit 30 measured lakes, a lake-dense area that gives residents real choice on any given weekend.

The kayaking-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 kayaking use case is less useful than a decent one that does.

#	Lake	County	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Crooked Lake	Stearns	12.1 mi	15.5 ft	35 ft
2	Nixon Lake	Wright	14.9 mi	13.1 ft	67 ft
3	Big Spunk Lake	Stearns	15 mi	10 ft	38 ft
4	Big Fish Lake	Stearns	15 mi	20 ft	70 ft
5	Bass Lake	Wright	16.8 mi	13.5 ft	34 ft
6	School Section Lake	Stearns	16.9 mi	9.8 ft	14 ft
7	Sugar Lake	Wright	17.9 mi	16.5 ft	69 ft
8	Pleasant Lake	Wright	19.8 mi	11.5 ft	74 ft
9	Cedar Lake	Wright	20.5 mi	14.3 ft	108 ft
10	Ida Lake	Wright	21.9 mi	13.1 ft	60 ft
11	West Sylvia Lake	Wright	22 mi	22 ft	97 ft
12	Birch Lake	Wright	22.9 mi	15 ft	52 ft
13	Moose Lake	Wright	23.7 mi	14.4 ft	43 ft
14	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	24.7 mi	17.2 ft	76 ft
15	Ann Lake	Sherburne	24.9 mi	11.5 ft	26 ft
16	Big Lake	Sherburne	25 mi	13.6 ft	48 ft
17	Pierz Lake	Morrison	27.8 mi	9.5 ft	34 ft
18	Cedar Lake	Morrison	28.6 mi	16.2 ft	88 ft
19	Pine Lake	Morrison	29.2 mi	15.1 ft	59 ft
20	Sandy Lake	Sherburne	31.6 mi	14 ft	41 ft
21	West Hunter Lake	Sherburne	32.4 mi	10.2 ft	6 ft
22	Little Birch Lake	Todd	34.1 mi	13 ft	89 ft
23	Charlotte Lake	Wright	34.9 mi	17.1 ft	46 ft
24	East Twin Lake	Anoka	35.7 mi	10.7 ft	68 ft
25	Spectacle Lake	Isanti	36.7 mi	13.8 ft	51.5 ft
26	Long Lake	Kandiyohi	37.7 mi	10.5 ft	46 ft
27	John Lake	Wright	20.6 mi	8 ft	28 ft
28	Warner Lake	Stearns	10.8 mi	6 ft	38 ft
29	Grand Lake	Stearns	12.1 mi	8 ft	34 ft
30	Pearl Lake	Stearns	13.2 mi	3.9 ft	17 ft

Other activities near St. Cloud

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Where to stay near St. Cloud

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

Top-rated places to stay near St. Cloud

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.