Afton State Park
Afton State Park is a state park in Washington County. It was established in 1969. 8 graded lakes are within 15 miles of the park, including Lake St. Croix, Elmo Lake, Pool on Lake St. Croix.
Afton State Park is a Minnesota State Park covering an unrecorded acreage acres. State parks are the most heavily-developed of the public-land designations — campground, picnic, boat-launch, interpretive-center. 8 graded lakes are within easy reach of the park, with an average grade of C. Lake St. Croix (B) is the cleanest of the set.
For visitors planning around water quality, the nearby-lakes list below is the practical tool: a park is only as good as the lake you intend to use it from, and the LakeGrade for that lake gives you the water-clarity, nutrient, and algal-pressure context you need.
Official Resources
Nearby Graded Lakes (within 15 mi)
Lakes closest to Afton State Park, weighted by size. Click a lake for its full water quality grade, fish species, and depth.
| Lake | County | Grade | Surface Area | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lake St. Croix | Washington | B | - | 3.6 mi |
| Elmo Lake | Washington | B | 281 acres | 9.5 mi |
| Pool on Lake St. Croix | Washington | C | - | 6.5 mi |
| St. Croix 1.5 Mi. Upstream of Point Douglas Dr Lake | Washington | C | - | 6.5 mi |
| Pool on Lake St. Croix Downstream of I94 Bridge | Washington | C | - | 6.8 mi |
| St. Croix 0.3 Mi. Downstream of I Lake | Washington | C | - | 6.8 mi |
| St. Croix Lake | Washington | C | - | 7.9 mi |
| Legion Pond | Washington | C | - | 9.8 mi |
Other Parks in the Area
- Fort Snelling State Park— State Park, 19.4 mi
- William O'Brien State Park— State Park, 24.7 mi
- Frontenac State Park— State Park, 33.3 mi
- Interstate Park— State Park, 36.9 mi
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.