Schoolcraft State Park
Schoolcraft State Park is a state park in Cass County, Itasca County. It was established in 1959. 8 graded lakes are within 15 miles of the park, including Leighton Lake, Vermillion Lake, Sugar Lake.
Schoolcraft 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 B. Leighton Lake (A) 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 Schoolcraft State Park, weighted by size. Click a lake for its full water quality grade, fish species, and depth.
| Lake | County | Grade | Surface Area | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leighton Lake | Itasca | A | 245 acres | 2.5 mi |
| Vermillion Lake | Cass | B | 410 acres | 4.5 mi |
| Sugar Lake | Cass | A | 699 acres | 5.3 mi |
| Rice Lake | Itasca | A | 863 acres | 6.1 mi |
| Siseebakwet Lake | Itasca | A | 1,210 acres | 7.3 mi |
| Blackwater Lake | Itasca | D | 601 acres | 6.6 mi |
| Pokegama Lake | Itasca | A | 6,721 acres | 10.7 mi |
| Bass Lake | Itasca | B | 2,715 acres | 9.8 mi |
Other Parks in the Area
- Hill Annex Mine State Park— State Park, 26.1 mi
- Scenic State Park— State Park, 36 mi
- Savanna Portage State Park— State Park, 40.4 mi
- McCarthy Beach State Park— State Park, 47.4 mi
Where to stay near Schoolcraft State Park
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Schoolcraft State Park — find a place to stay close to the park and its nearby lakes.
Top-rated places to stay near Schoolcraft State Park
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.