Best Lakes for Boating Near Willmar
Minnesota
30 boating lakes within driving distance of Willmar, 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.
Within reasonable driving distance of Willmar sit 30 graded lakes — a lake-dense area that gives residents real choice on any given weekend. The average grade across the nearby set is B.
Filtered for boating, the nearby-lake list narrows further. boating-specific signals — fish species, public access, depth profile, motor-boat congestion — interact with the letter grade in different ways depending on the use case.
| # | Lake | County | Grade | Distance | Clarity | Depth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Eagle Lake | Kandiyohi | A | 5 mi | 6.9 ft | 67 ft |
| 2 | George Lake | Kandiyohi | A | 8.9 mi | 15 ft | 34 ft |
| 3 | Florida Lake | Kandiyohi | A | 9.1 mi | 12.3 ft | 40 ft |
| 4 | Green Lake | Kandiyohi | A | 11.7 mi | 14.1 ft | 110 ft |
| 5 | Crow R Mill Pond | Kandiyohi | A | 13.4 mi | 7 ft | 14 ft |
| 6 | Long Lake | Kandiyohi | A | 16.6 mi | 10.5 ft | 46 ft |
| 7 | Minnie-Belle Lake | Meeker | A | 25.9 mi | 14.4 ft | 49 ft |
| 8 | Scandinavian Lake | Pope | A | 27.1 mi | 8 ft | 49 ft |
| 9 | Linka Lake | Pope | A | 30 mi | 10.2 ft | 50 ft |
| 10 | Big Fish Lake | Stearns | A | 38.9 mi | 20 ft | 70 ft |
| 11 | Minnewaska Lake | Pope | A | 39.6 mi | 11 ft | 32 ft |
| 12 | School Section Lake | Stearns | A | 40 mi | 9.8 ft | 14 ft |
| 13 | West Sylvia Lake | Wright | A | 41.5 mi | 22 ft | 97 ft |
| 14 | Big Spunk Lake | Stearns | A | 42.8 mi | 10 ft | 38 ft |
| 15 | Pleasant Lake | Wright | A | 46.2 mi | 11.5 ft | 74 ft |
| 16 | Clearwater Lake | Wright | A | 46.6 mi | 9.8 ft | 73 ft |
| 17 | Little Birch Lake | Todd | A | 47.1 mi | 13 ft | 89 ft |
| 18 | Maple Lake | Douglas | A | 47.9 mi | 14.1 ft | 78 ft |
| 19 | Bass Lake | Wright | A | 47.9 mi | 13.5 ft | 34 ft |
| 20 | Cedar Lake | Wright | A | 48.7 mi | 14.3 ft | 108 ft |
| 21 | John Lake | Wright | B | 44.1 mi | 8 ft | 28 ft |
| 22 | Big Kandiyohi Lake | Kandiyohi | C | 10.2 mi | 5.2 ft | 18 ft |
| 23 | Nest Lake | Kandiyohi | C | 10.3 mi | 7 ft | 40 ft |
| 24 | Middle Lake | Kandiyohi | C | 13.1 mi | 5.4 ft | 11 ft |
| 25 | Calhoun Lake | Kandiyohi | C | 14.6 mi | 6.9 ft | 13 ft |
| 26 | Games Lake | Kandiyohi | C | 14.8 mi | 5.2 ft | 42 ft |
| 27 | Koronis Lake | Stearns | C | 22.3 mi | 6 ft | 132 ft |
| 28 | Ripley Lake | Meeker | C | 24.8 mi | 4.6 ft | 18 ft |
| 29 | Johanna Lake | Pope | C | 26.1 mi | 5.1 ft | 10 ft |
| 30 | Big Lake | Stearns | C | 31.1 mi | 6.9 ft | 42 ft |
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.