Best Boating Lakes in Minnesota & Wisconsin

The best lakes for boating in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Public boat launches, 200+ acres of open water, and good water quality. Ranked by launch access, size, and grade.

Recreation rankings need public-access, beach and launch, depth, and fish-survey data, which currently cover Minnesota and Wisconsin lakes. Water-quality grades themselves span all 12 states LakeQuality covers.

100

Lakes

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Swimming Boating Kayaking Ice Fishing

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Launches	Area	Depth
1	Chippewa Flowage Lake	Sawyer	WI	B	33	14,593 acres	92 ft
2	Green Lake	Green Lake	WI	B	31	7,920 acres	236 ft
3	Saint Croix Flowage Lake	Douglas	WI	B	24	1,913 acres	-
4	Mille Lacs Lake	Mille Lacs	MN	C	23	128,250 acres	42 ft
5	Mille Lacs Lake	Aitkin	MN	B	17	128,250 acres	42 ft
6	Big Lake	Beltrami	MN	B	14	3,598 acres	35 ft
7	Lake St. Croix	Washington	MN	B	15	8,393 acres	78 ft
8	Rainy Lake	Koochiching	MN	D	24	210,200 acres	161 ft
9	Stockton Lake	Cedar	MO	B	13	24,900 acres	-
10	Geneva Lake	Walworth	WI	A	8	5,401 acres	135 ft
11	Minnetonka Lake	Hennepin	MN	B	9	14,206 acres	113 ft
12	Fox Lake	Dodge	WI	F	36	2,713 acres	19 ft
13	Pokegama Lake	Itasca	MN	A	7	6,721 acres	112 ft
14	Pomme de Terre L. Lake	Hickory	MO	C	10	7,820 acres	-
15	Bay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	7	2,330 acres	74 ft
16	Bass Lake	Itasca	MN	B	8	2,715 acres	76 ft
17	Lake Winnibigoshish	Cass	MN	B	8	56,471 acres	69.8 ft
18	Green Lake	Green Lake	WI	B	8	7,920 acres	236 ft
19	Green Lake	Green Lake	WI	B	8	7,920 acres	236 ft
20	Rock Lake	Jefferson	WI	A	13	1,365 acres	60 ft
21	Lake Ashtabula	Barnes	ND	B	9	5,178 acres	42.8 ft
22	Red Cedar Lake	Barron	WI	A	9	1,897 acres	53 ft
23	Flambeau Lake	Vilas	WI	A	13	1,166 acres	78 ft
24	Lake Wappapello Nr. Dam	Wayne	MO	D	18	23,200 acres	-
25	Geneva Lake	Walworth	WI	A	6	5,401 acres	135 ft
26	Geneva Lake Site B	Walworth	WI	A	6	5,401 acres	135 ft
27	Green Lake East Basin	Green Lake	WI	B	8	7,920 acres	236 ft
28	Bemidji Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	6	6,596 acres	76 ft
29	Lake of Egypt	Williamson	IL	C	11	2,265 acres	-
30	Green Lake	Green Lake	WI	C	8	7,920 acres	236 ft
31	City Millpond	Green Lake	WI	C	8	7,920 acres	236 ft
32	Whitefish Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	5	7,714 acres	138 ft
33	Green Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	A	5	5,569 acres	110 ft
34	Lake Mendota	Dane	WI	C	9	9,781 acres	83 ft
35	Rathbun Lake	Appanoose	IA	D	11	11,013 acres	-
36	Cedar Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	7	1,726 acres	105 ft
37	Pelican Lake	St. Louis	MN	C	7	11,546 acres	38 ft
38	Lake Audubon	McLean	ND	B	6	19,095 acres	59.4 ft
39	East Vermilion Lake	St. Louis	MN	D	10	39,272 acres	76 ft
40	Carlos Lake	Douglas	MN	A	4	2,605 acres	163 ft
41	Ball Club Lake	Itasca	MN	A	4	4,335 acres	85 ft
42	Table Rock Lake	Taney	MO	B	5	43,100 acres	-
43	Chippewa Flowage -Pokegema Lake	Sawyer	WI	C	6	14,593 acres	92 ft
44	Shagawa Lake	St. Louis	MN	B	5	2,345 acres	48 ft
45	Balsam Lake	Polk	WI	B	6	1,901 acres	37 ft
46	Detroit Lake	Becker	MN	A	4	3,067 acres	89 ft
47	Pelican Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	4	8,367 acres	104 ft
48	Cass Lake Pike Bay	Cass	MN	A	4	4,756 acres	95 ft
49	Shawano Lake	Shawano	WI	C	6	6,215 acres	39.5 ft
50	Chippewa Flowage -North of Cranberry Bars Lake	Sawyer	WI	C	6	14,593 acres	92 ft
51	Chippewa Flowage -Moore'S Bay Lake	Sawyer	WI	C	6	14,593 acres	92 ft
52	Turtle Flambeau Flowage Lake	Iron	WI	B	5	13,798 acres	-
53	Lake Puckaway	Green Lake	WI	C	7	5,013 acres	5 ft
54	Lake Darling	Renville	ND	B	5	9,432 acres	28.7 ft
55	Outlet of Onamia Lake on the Rum River	Mille Lacs	MN	A	9	1,044 acres	10 ft
56	Big Birch Lake	Todd	MN	B	5	2,107 acres	81 ft
57	Beaver Dam Lake	Barron	WI	A	8	1,163 acres	106 ft
58	Kabetogama Lake	St. Louis	MN	D	8	24,034 acres	80 ft
59	Dead Lake	Otter Tail	MN	B	4	7,546 acres	65 ft
60	Long Lake	Washburn	WI	B	4	3,290 acres	-
61	Kinkaid Lake	Jackson	IL	B	4	2,500 acres	-
62	Smithville Lake	Clay	MO	D	8	7,190 acres	-
63	Lake Noquebay	Marinette	WI	B	4	2,398 acres	51 ft
64	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	3	6,190 acres	97 ft
65	Ida Lake	Douglas	MN	A	3	4,445 acres	106 ft
66	Star Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	3	4,486 acres	94 ft
67	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	3	3,962 acres	55 ft
68	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	A	3	10,010 acres	80 ft
69	West Vermilion Lake	St. Louis	MN	C	5	39,272 acres	76 ft
70	Miltona Lake	Douglas	MN	A	3	5,731 acres	105 ft
71	Round Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	3	3,294 acres	74 ft
72	Petenwell Flowage Lake	Juneau	WI	D	10	23,173 acres	44 ft
73	Devils Lake	Ramsey	ND	C	6	140,000 acres	58.1 ft
74	Devils Lake	Benson	ND	C	6	110,763 acres	58.1 ft
75	High Falls Reservoir at	Marinette	WI	C	8	1,471 acres	54 ft
76	Lac Courte Oreilles Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	3	5,139 acres	90 ft
77	Lake St. Croix	St. Croix	WI	B	4	7,696 acres	60 ft
78	Moon Bay Lake	Chippewa	WI	D	7	6,148 acres	64.4 ft
79	Jamestown Reservoir	Stutsman	ND	D	7	17,427 acres	36.2 ft
80	Lake Menomin	Dunn	WI	D	23	1,009 acres	34 ft
81	Yellow Lake	Burnett	WI	C	5	2,283 acres	31 ft
82	Thunder Lake	Cass	MN	A	5	1,347 acres	95 ft
83	Carlyle Lake	Clinton	IL	F	13	24,580 acres	-
84	Holcombe Flowage Lake	Chippewa	WI	C	5	4,300 acres	-
85	Lake Metonga	Forest	WI	A	3	2,038 acres	79 ft
86	Moose Lake	Itasca	MN	B	6	1,273 acres	61 ft
87	Delavan Lake	Walworth	WI	B	4	1,906 acres	52 ft
88	Rock River Lake	Rock	WI	A	11	548 acres	-
89	Green Lake	Chisago	MN	C	5	1,809 acres	32 ft
90	Minocqua Lake	Oneida	WI	A	5	1,339 acres	60 ft
91	Big Sandy Lake	Aitkin	MN	C	4	6,125 acres	84 ft
92	Minnewaska Lake	Pope	MN	B	3	8,050 acres	32 ft
93	Nelson Lake	Sawyer	WI	C	4	2,503 acres	-
94	North Twin Lake	Vilas	WI	B	3	2,871 acres	60 ft
95	Lake Wissota	Chippewa	WI	D	6	6,148 acres	64.4 ft
96	Big Eau Pleine Southeast Point Lake	Marathon	WI	F	12	6,348 acres	46 ft
97	Lake Tschida	Grant	ND	C	4	10,953 acres	-
98	Balsam Lake Little Balsam Site	Polk	WI	C	6	1,901 acres	37 ft
99	Potato Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	3	2,096 acres	87 ft
100	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	3	1,862 acres	135 ft

Frequently Asked Questions

Which lakes are best for boating in Minnesota and Wisconsin?

The best boating lakes have multiple public boat launches, 200+ acres of open water for cruising, and good water quality. Larger lakes offer more room for waterskiing, tubing, and sailing without overcrowding.

Do I need a permit to boat on these lakes?

Minnesota and Wisconsin both require boat registration for motorized watercraft. Most public access sites are free, though some charge a daily launch fee. Check your state DNR for current requirements and any lake-specific restrictions.

Top Picks: Boating Lakes

Chippewa Flowage Lake

Sawyer County, WI · Grade B

Green Lake

Green Lake County, WI · Grade B

Saint Croix Flowage Lake

Douglas County, WI · Grade B

Mille Lacs Lake

Mille Lacs County, MN · Grade C

Mille Lacs Lake

Aitkin County, MN · Grade B

Big Lake

Beltrami County, MN · Grade B

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.