What is the best boating lake near St. Paul?

Rogers Lake in Dakota County is the top-ranked boating lake near St. Paul on measured water quality (6.2 miles away).

How many lakes are near St. Paul for boating?

30 lakes within driving distance of St. Paul match the boating filters used on this page.

Best Lakes for Boating Near St. Paul, MN

30 boating lakes within driving distance of St. Paul, 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. Paul sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 30 measured lakes within reach. Rogers Lake carries the lowest nutrient and algae readings of 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 water-quality readings in different ways depending on the use case.

#	Lake	County	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Rogers Lake	Dakota	6.2 mi	6.6 ft	8 ft
2	Snail Lake	Ramsey	8.4 mi	11 ft	30 ft
3	Jane Lake	Washington	9.1 mi	13 ft	39 ft
4	White Bear Lake	Washington	9.9 mi	14.4 ft	83 ft
5	Turtle Lake	Ramsey	10.1 mi	7.5 ft	28 ft
6	Elmo Lake	Washington	10.2 mi	11.1 ft	140 ft
7	Otter Lake	Ramsey	12 mi	11.5 ft	21 ft
8	Bush Lake	Hennepin	16.4 mi	13 ft	28 ft
9	Big Carnelian Lake	Washington	18.4 mi	14.5 ft	66 ft
10	Square Lake	Washington	19.7 mi	17 ft	68 ft
11	Marion Lake	Dakota	22.3 mi	7 ft	21 ft
12	Riley Lake	Hennepin	22.5 mi	11.5 ft	49 ft
13	Minnewashta Lake	Carver	25.7 mi	11.5 ft	70 ft
14	Spider Lake	Chisago	28.5 mi	6.5 ft	9 ft
15	Kroon Lake	Chisago	30.3 mi	5.9 ft	30 ft
16	Piersons Lake	Carver	31 mi	9.9 ft	40 ft
17	South Lindstrom Lake	Chisago	32.2 mi	5.6 ft	34 ft
18	Charlotte Lake	Wright	34.8 mi	17.1 ft	46 ft
19	Big Lake	Sherburne	42 mi	13.6 ft	48 ft
20	Fish Lake	Chisago	43.4 mi	9.4 ft	57 ft
21	Ann Lake	Sherburne	43.8 mi	11.5 ft	26 ft
22	Spectacle Lake	Isanti	45.6 mi	13.8 ft	51.5 ft
23	Ida Lake	Wright	46.5 mi	13.1 ft	60 ft
24	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	46.7 mi	17.2 ft	76 ft
25	Lake St Croix	St. Croix	15.9 mi	5.6 ft	60 ft
26	Lake St Croix	Pierce	18.9 mi	7.2 ft	78 ft
27	Pool	Washington	18.9 mi	5.9 ft	78 ft
28	Big Lake	Polk	35.6 mi	9 ft	24 ft
29	Deer Lake	Polk	41.5 mi	16 ft	46 ft
30	North Twin Lake	Polk	43.2 mi	-	27 ft

Other activities near St. Paul

Swimming near St. Paul →Fishing near St. Paul →Kayaking near St. Paul →All lakes near St. Paul →

Where to stay near St. Paul

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

Top-rated places to stay near St. Paul

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.