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) swim-safety grade from EPA Water Quality Portal sampling — shown in the Swim Safety column. The rest are screened on water clarity and algae because they lack enough recent bacteria samples to grade.

What is the cleanest swimming lake near St. Paul?

Rogers Lake (Dakota County) is the cleanest swim lake near St. Paul by water-quality grade — grade A, with 6.6 ft of water clarity.

Is It Safe to Swim in Lakes Near St. Paul, MN? (2026)

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

26 lakes within driving distance of St. Paul pass our swim-safety screen (grade A/B water, chlorophyll-a under 15 µg/L, public access). The top pick is Rogers Lake in Dakota County (grade A, 6.2 miles away). Bacteria can spike after heavy rain, so always check the county health department's current advisories before you swim.

26 lakes within driving distance of St. Paul, Minnesota pass our swim-safety screen — grade A/B water, low algae, and public access. 2 have direct bacteria (E. coli) testing on record. Filtered for grade A or B water quality, low algae (chlorophyll-a under 15 µg/L), and public access. Always check local advisories on the day you swim.

St. Paul sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 26 graded lakes within reach, average grade A. Rogers Lake (A) leads the cluster.

The swimming-specific ranking layered on top of the letter grade is what produces the list below: a grade-good lake that does not also support the swimming use case is less useful than a grade-decent lake that does.

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