Is it safe to swim in lakes near St. Paul?

That is a call for Minnesota's water agency and the county health department, who post current advisories. 26 lakes within driving distance of St. Paul pass the low-algae screen (favourable clarity and nutrient readings, chlorophyll-a under 15 µg/L, public access). The top pick on those readings is Rogers Lake in Dakota County, 6.2 miles away. Bacteria can spike after heavy rain, so always check the current advisories before you swim.

Which lakes near St. Paul have bacteria testing?

2 of the swim lakes near St. Paul carry a historical bacteria (E. coli or fecal coliform) reading from EPA Water Quality Portal sampling — shown in the Bacteria column. The rest are screened on water clarity and algae because they lack enough recent bacteria samples.

What is the cleanest swimming lake near St. Paul?

Rogers Lake (Dakota County) is the cleanest swim lake near St. Paul on measured clarity and nutrients, with 6.6 ft of water clarity.

Swimming Lakes Near St. Paul, MN: Clarity, Algae and Bacteria Readings (2026)

26 lakes within driving distance of St. Paul, Minnesota pass the low-algae screen — favourable clarity and nutrient readings, low algae, and public access. 2 have direct bacteria (E. coli) testing on record. Filtered for the clearest, lowest-nutrient readings in the sampling record, low algae (chlorophyll-a under 15 µg/L), and public access. Not a swimming clearance: always check local advisories on the day you swim.

St. Paul sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 26 measured lakes within reach. Rogers Lake carries the lowest nutrient and algae readings of the cluster.

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

#	Lake	County	Bacteria	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Rogers Lake	Dakota	Limited data	6.2 mi	6.6 ft	8 ft
2	Snail Lake	Ramsey	Low algae	8.4 mi	11 ft	30 ft
3	Jane Lake	Washington	Limited data	9.1 mi	13 ft	39 ft
4	White Bear Lake	Washington	Bacteria tested: exceedances	9.9 mi	14.4 ft	83 ft
5	Turtle Lake	Ramsey	Bacteria tested: low	10.1 mi	7.5 ft	28 ft
6	Elmo Lake	Washington	Limited data	10.2 mi	11.1 ft	140 ft
7	Otter Lake	Ramsey	Low algae	12 mi	11.5 ft	21 ft
8	Lily Lake	Washington	Limited data	14.6 mi	10.5 ft	51 ft
9	Bush Lake	Hennepin	Limited data	16.4 mi	13 ft	28 ft
10	Lost Lake	Hennepin	Low algae	16.8 mi	3.2 ft	6 ft
11	Lac Lavon Lake	Dakota	Limited data	17.8 mi	12.1 ft	32 ft
12	Big Carnelian Lake	Washington	Limited data	18.4 mi	14.5 ft	66 ft
13	Square Lake	Washington	Low algae	19.7 mi	17 ft	68 ft
14	Big Marine Lake	Washington	Low algae	20.7 mi	12 ft	-
15	Howard Lake	Anoka	Low algae	21.4 mi	3.3 ft	-
16	Marion Lake	Dakota	Limited data	22.3 mi	7 ft	21 ft
17	Halfbreed Lake	Washington	Limited data	22.5 mi	5.2 ft	34 ft
18	Riley Lake	Hennepin	Low algae	22.5 mi	11.5 ft	49 ft
19	Netta Lake	Anoka	Low algae	22.8 mi	11.3 ft	-
20	Round Lake	Anoka	Low algae	23.7 mi	8.9 ft	-
21	Grass Lake	Anoka	Low algae	25.6 mi	4.3 ft	-
22	Minnewashta Lake	Carver	Limited data	25.7 mi	11.5 ft	70 ft
23	St Joe Lake	Carver	Limited data	26.6 mi	8.4 ft	52 ft
24	Fireman'S Lake	Carver	Low algae	27.6 mi	10.7 ft	23 ft
25	Spider Lake	Chisago	Low algae	28.5 mi	6.5 ft	9 ft
26	School Lake	Chisago	Low algae	28.6 mi	7.9 ft	-

Other activities near St. Paul

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Where to stay near St. Paul

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.