Best Kayaking Lakes in Minnesota & Wisconsin

The best lakes for kayaking in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Grade A and B water quality, public access, and ideal paddling size (50-2,000 acres). Crystal clear water for paddling.

100

Lakes

Minnesota

Wisconsin

Swimming Boating Kayaking Ice Fishing

Rank	Lake	County	State	Grade	Clarity	Area	Depth
1	Sturgeon Lake	Pine	MN	A	55 ft	1.7K acres	-
2	St James Pit Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	47.6 ft	124.18 acres	381 ft
3	Big Carnelian Lake	Washington	MN	A	46.8 ft	457.03 acres	66 ft
4	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	46.6 ft	1.0K acres	115 ft
5	Chester Lake	Cook	MN	A	39 ft	51.97 acres	-
6	Sabin Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	35 ft	278.87 acres	52 ft
7	Dunnigan Lake	Lake	MN	A	33.2 ft	81.13 acres	-
8	Divide Lake	Lake	MN	A	33.2 ft	61.11 acres	-
9	Caribou Lake	Itasca	MN	A	31 ft	246.5 acres	152 ft
10	Meander Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	27.9 ft	98.71 acres	-
11	Little Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	26.9 ft	1.3K acres	109 ft
12	Serpent Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	25 ft	1.1K acres	65 ft
13	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	A	25 ft	803.03 acres	84 ft
14	Stony Lake	Cass	MN	A	23.3 ft	563.21 acres	50 ft
15	Potato Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	23 ft	1.6K acres	76 ft
16	Big Sand Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	23 ft	1.6K acres	135 ft
17	Long Lost Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	23 ft	539.04 acres	63 ft
18	Turtle Lake	Becker	MN	A	23 ft	196.39 acres	73 ft
19	Lost Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	23 ft	124.07 acres	44 ft
20	Belle Taine Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	22.8 ft	1.5K acres	56 ft
21	Lone Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	22.7 ft	433.49 acres	60 ft
22	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	22.6 ft	907.4 acres	46 ft
23	West Sylvia Lake	Wright	MN	A	22 ft	904.39 acres	97 ft
24	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	21.8 ft	1.0K acres	115 ft
25	Big Ole Lake	Itasca	MN	A	21.8 ft	216.95 acres	65 ft
26	Leighton Lake	Itasca	MN	A	21.7 ft	245.45 acres	63 ft
27	Little Jay Gould Lake	Itasca	MN	A	21.5 ft	149.97 acres	56 ft
28	Bearskin Lake	Cook	MN	A	21.3 ft	509.22 acres	78 ft
29	Little Long Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	21 ft	322.24 acres	45 ft
30	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	MN	A	21 ft	260.32 acres	51 ft
31	Larson Lake	Itasca	MN	A	21 ft	208.18 acres	177 ft
32	Beauty Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	21 ft	54.96 acres	53 ft
33	Big Fish Lake	Stearns	MN	A	20.7 ft	557.31 acres	70 ft
34	Mayhew Lake	Cook	MN	A	20.6 ft	220.9 acres	84 ft
35	Big Watab Lake	Stearns	MN	A	20.5 ft	245.56 acres	123 ft
36	Six Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	20.2 ft	196.53 acres	140 ft
37	Thunder Lake	Cass	MN	A	20 ft	1.3K acres	95 ft
38	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	20 ft	711.33 acres	63 ft
39	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	20 ft	700.21 acres	100 ft
40	Sybil Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	20 ft	682.86 acres	74 ft
41	Long Lake	Becker	MN	A	20 ft	414.51 acres	61 ft
42	Little Sand Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	20 ft	409.51 acres	80 ft
43	Scalp Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	20 ft	254.38 acres	90 ft
44	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	20 ft	158.86 acres	80 ft
45	Moon Lake	Douglas	MN	A	20 ft	139.09 acres	38 ft
46	Boot Lake	Becker	MN	A	19.5 ft	385.1 acres	109 ft
47	Mary Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	19.5 ft	235.22 acres	48 ft
48	Emma Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	19.5 ft	78.43 acres	50 ft
49	East Silent Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	19.4 ft	323.6 acres	48 ft
50	Big Bass Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	19.4 ft	132.5 acres	60 ft
51	Wazee Lake	Jackson	WI	A	105.8 ft	146 acres	350 ft
52	Bardon Lake	Douglas	WI	A	88.6 ft	848 acres	102 ft
53	Black Oak Lake	Vilas	WI	A	88.6 ft	564 acres	85 ft
54	Whitefish Lake	Douglas	WI	A	86.9 ft	848 acres	102 ft
55	Whitefish Lake	Douglas	WI	A	82 ft	848 acres	102 ft
56	Pine Lake	Waukesha	WI	A	82 ft	711 acres	85 ft
57	Maiden Lake	Oconto	WI	A	80.4 ft	269 acres	52 ft
58	Lake Owen	Bayfield	WI	A	78.7 ft	1.3K acres	95 ft
59	Stone Lake	Washburn	WI	A	75.5 ft	490 acres	49 ft
60	Forest Lake	Vilas	WI	A	72.2 ft	468 acres	60 ft
61	Wheeler Lake	Oconto	WI	A	72.2 ft	281 acres	-
62	Buskey Bay Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	70.9 ft	88 acres	51 ft
63	Hasbrook Lake	Oneida	WI	A	68.9 ft	307 acres	50 ft
64	Long Lake	Burnett	WI	A	68.9 ft	222 acres	41 ft
65	Sea Lion Lake	Florence	WI	A	68.9 ft	114 acres	82 ft
66	Lower Pine Lake	Polk	WI	A	68.9 ft	96 acres	102 ft
67	Boot Lake	Oconto	WI	A	67.3 ft	230 acres	38 ft
68	White Sand Lake	Vilas	WI	A	65.6 ft	746 acres	71 ft
69	Paya Lake	Oconto	WI	A	65.6 ft	105 acres	40 ft
70	Pearl Lake	Waushara	WI	A	65.6 ft	101 acres	45 ft
71	Twin Bear Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	64 ft	157 acres	59 ft
72	Big Twin Lake	Langlade	WI	A	64 ft	66 acres	-
73	Rose Lake	Langlade	WI	A	63.2 ft	115 acres	-
74	Alva Lake	Oneida	WI	A	62.8 ft	199 acres	43 ft
75	Flambeau Lake	Vilas	WI	A	62.3 ft	1.2K acres	78 ft
76	Big Portage Lake	Vilas	WI	A	62.3 ft	586 acres	40 ft
77	Middle Mckenzie Lake	Burnett	WI	A	62.3 ft	527 acres	45 ft
78	Des Moines Lake	Burnett	WI	A	62.3 ft	215 acres	37 ft
79	Mildred Lake	Oneida	WI	A	62.3 ft	168 acres	45 ft
80	Hodstradt Lake	Oneida	WI	A	62.3 ft	119 acres	36 ft
81	Lake Lucerne	Forest	WI	A	61.5 ft	1.0K acres	73 ft
82	Upper Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	61.5 ft	1.0K acres	92 ft
83	Presque Isle Lake	Vilas	WI	A	60.7 ft	1.2K acres	103 ft
84	Middle Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	60.7 ft	880 acres	66 ft
85	Sand Lake	Burnett	WI	A	60 ft	900 acres	73 ft
86	Butternut Lake	Forest	WI	A	59.1 ft	1.2K acres	42 ft
87	White Sand Lake Deep	Vilas	WI	A	59.1 ft	1.2K acres	63 ft
88	Stormy Lake	Vilas	WI	A	59.1 ft	523 acres	63 ft
89	Bond Lake	Douglas	WI	A	59.1 ft	279 acres	67 ft
90	Bladder Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	59.1 ft	84 acres	35 ft
91	East Bass Lake	Florence	WI	A	58.2 ft	51 acres	42 ft
92	Thunder Lake	Marinette	WI	A	57.4 ft	133 acres	62 ft
93	Clear Lake	Sawyer	WI	A	56.9 ft	77 acres	32 ft
94	Squash Lake	Oneida	WI	A	55.8 ft	398 acres	74 ft
95	Viola Lake	Burnett	WI	A	55.8 ft	265 acres	34 ft
96	Jordan Lake	Adams	WI	A	55.8 ft	233 acres	92 ft
97	White Lake	Langlade	WI	A	55.8 ft	153 acres	42 ft
98	Bass Lake	Oconto	WI	A	55.8 ft	145 acres	40 ft
99	Crystal Lake	Marquette	WI	A	55.8 ft	119 acres	60 ft
100	Bird Lake	Oneida	WI	A	55.8 ft	97 acres	40 ft

Frequently Asked Questions

What makes a lake ideal for kayaking?

The best kayaking lakes have clean, clear water (Grade A or B), public access for launching, and are sized between 50 and 2,000 acres. Too small and there is not much to explore; too large and wind can create dangerous conditions for paddlers.

Can I kayak on any public lake?

Yes, all public lakes in Minnesota and Wisconsin are open to non-motorized watercraft like kayaks and canoes. Many lakes on this list have designated paddle-in campsites and nature areas accessible only from the water.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.