Jay Cooke State Park
Jay Cooke State Park is a state park in Carlton County. It was established in 1915. 8 lakes with water-quality readings are within 15 miles of the park, including Upper Estuary Lake, Thomson Reservoir, Chub Lake.
Jay Cooke 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 measured lakes are within easy reach of the park. Big Lake has the lowest nutrient and algae readings of the set.
State parks pair well with the lake pages: the park itself usually has interpretive signage explaining the local lake system, but the per-lake readings tell you which actual lake in the system to head to.
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Nearby Lakes (within 15 mi)
Lakes closest to Jay Cooke State Park, weighted by size. Click a lake for its water-quality readings, fish species, and depth.
| Lake | County | Surface Area | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Estuary Lake | St. Louis | 10,255 acres | 4.2 mi |
| Thomson Reservoir | Carlton | 390 acres | 3.5 mi |
| Chub Lake | Carlton | 313 acres | 6.4 mi |
| Hay Lake | Carlton | 140 acres | 7.2 mi |
| Big Lake | Carlton | 526 acres | 14.6 mi |
| Spirit Lake | St. Louis | - | 6.9 mi |
| Sand Lake | Carlton | 128 acres | 13.3 mi |
| Second Lake | Carlton | - | 8.9 mi |
Other Parks in the Area
- Moose Lake State Park— State Park, 24 mi
- Moose Lake State Recreation Area— State Recreation Area, 24 mi
- Savanna Portage State Park— State Park, 41.2 mi
- Banning State Park— State Park, 41.8 mi
Where to stay near Jay Cooke State Park
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Top-rated places to stay near Jay Cooke State Park
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.