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.

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	Clarity	Area	Depth
1	St James Pit Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	47.6 ft	124 acres	381 ft
2	Wazee Lake	Jackson	WI	A	30 ft	146 acres	350 ft
3	Caribou Lake	Itasca	MN	A	31 ft	247 acres	152 ft
4	Black Oak Lake	Vilas	WI	A	28.5 ft	564 acres	85 ft
5	Clearwater Lake	Cook	MN	A	29 ft	462 acres	65 ft
6	Bardon Lake	Douglas	WI	A	27 ft	848 acres	102 ft
7	Little Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	26.5 ft	1,316 acres	109 ft
8	Wheeler Lake	Oconto	WI	A	27 ft	281 acres	35 ft
9	South Lake	Cook	MN	A	26 ft	1,145 acres	140 ft
10	Whitefish Lake	Douglas	WI	A	25.3 ft	848 acres	102 ft
11	Serpent Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	25 ft	1,116 acres	65 ft
12	Pine Lake	Waukesha	WI	A	25 ft	711 acres	85 ft
13	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	A	25 ft	803 acres	84 ft
14	Lake Owen	Bayfield	WI	A	24.6 ft	1,250 acres	95 ft
15	Little Wabana Lake	Itasca	MN	A	24 ft	116 acres	57 ft
16	Whitefish Lake	Douglas	WI	A	24.5 ft	848 acres	102 ft
17	Sagamore Mine Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	23.8 ft	119 acres	210 ft
18	Carlin Lake	Vilas	WI	A	24 ft	155 acres	36 ft
19	Big Sand Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	23 ft	1,639 acres	135 ft
20	Stone Lake	Washburn	WI	A	23 ft	490 acres	49 ft
21	Stony Lake	Cass	MN	A	23 ft	563 acres	50 ft
22	Forest Lake	Vilas	WI	A	23 ft	468 acres	60 ft
23	Turtle Lake	Becker	MN	A	23 ft	196 acres	73 ft
24	Blue Lake	Oneida	WI	A	23 ft	441 acres	49 ft
25	Lost Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	23 ft	124 acres	44 ft
26	Maiden Lake	Oconto	WI	A	22.7 ft	269 acres	52 ft
27	Belle Taine Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	22.8 ft	1,497 acres	56 ft
28	Lee Lake	Oneida	WI	A	22.5 ft	65 acres	44 ft
29	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	22.6 ft	907 acres	46 ft
30	Forest Lake	Vilas	WI	A	22.2 ft	468 acres	60 ft
31	Lone Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	22.5 ft	433 acres	60 ft
32	Buskey Bay Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	21.9 ft	88 acres	51 ft
33	West Sylvia Lake	Wright	MN	A	22 ft	904 acres	97 ft
34	Hart Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	21.5 ft	257 acres	54 ft
35	Long Lost Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	22 ft	539 acres	63 ft
36	Boot Lake	Oconto	WI	A	21.5 ft	230 acres	38 ft
37	Big Ole Lake	Itasca	MN	A	21.8 ft	217 acres	65 ft
38	Long Lake	Burnett	WI	A	21.5 ft	222 acres	41 ft
39	Leighton Lake	Itasca	MN	A	21.7 ft	245 acres	63 ft
40	Rock River Lake	Rock	WI	A	21 ft	548 acres	-
41	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	21.5 ft	1,007 acres	115 ft
42	Hasbrook Lake	Oneida	WI	A	21 ft	307 acres	50 ft
43	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	21.5 ft	1,007 acres	115 ft
44	Carlin Lake	Vilas	WI	A	21 ft	155 acres	36 ft
45	Little Jay Gould Lake	Itasca	MN	A	21.5 ft	150 acres	56 ft
46	Sea Lion Lake	Florence	WI	A	21 ft	114 acres	82 ft
47	Bearskin Lake	Cook	MN	A	21 ft	509 acres	78 ft
48	Lower Pine Lake	Polk	WI	A	21 ft	96 acres	102 ft
49	Little Long Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	21 ft	322 acres	45 ft
50	White Sand Lake	Vilas	WI	A	20 ft	746 acres	71 ft
51	Portage Lake	Cass	MN	A	21 ft	277 acres	84 ft
52	Middle Mckenzie Lake	Burnett	WI	A	20 ft	527 acres	45 ft
53	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	MN	A	21 ft	260 acres	51 ft
54	Paya Lake	Oconto	WI	A	20 ft	105 acres	40 ft
55	Larson Lake	Itasca	MN	A	21 ft	208 acres	177 ft
56	Big Twin Lake	Langlade	WI	A	20 ft	66 acres	25 ft
57	Six Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	21 ft	197 acres	140 ft
58	Bony Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	19.8 ft	190 acres	55 ft
59	Moon Lake	Douglas	MN	A	21 ft	139 acres	38 ft
60	Butternut Lake	Forest	WI	A	19.5 ft	1,246 acres	42 ft
61	Beauty Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	21 ft	55 acres	53 ft
62	Alva Lake	Oneida	WI	A	19.5 ft	199 acres	43 ft
63	Swenson Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	20.7 ft	412 acres	76 ft
64	Wind Pudding Lake	Oneida	WI	A	19.5 ft	180 acres	35 ft
65	Mayhew Lake	Cook	MN	A	20.6 ft	221 acres	84 ft
66	Twin Bear Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	19.5 ft	157 acres	59 ft
67	Big Watab Lake	Stearns	MN	A	20.5 ft	246 acres	123 ft
68	Rose Lake	Langlade	WI	A	19.5 ft	115 acres	24 ft
69	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	20.5 ft	159 acres	80 ft
70	Lake Buteau	Lincoln	WI	A	19.4 ft	51 acres	50 ft
71	North Union Lake	Douglas	MN	A	20.3 ft	118 acres	42 ft
72	Pine Lake	Waushara	WI	A	19.3 ft	104 acres	21 ft
73	Thunder Lake	Cass	MN	A	20 ft	1,347 acres	95 ft
74	Upper Kaubashine Lake	Oneida	WI	A	19 ft	181 acres	56 ft
75	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	20 ft	711 acres	63 ft
76	Sand Bar Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	19 ft	127 acres	49 ft
77	Sybil Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	20 ft	683 acres	74 ft
78	Pearl Lake	Waushara	WI	A	19 ft	101 acres	45 ft
79	Big Fish Lake	Stearns	MN	A	20 ft	557 acres	70 ft
80	Des Moines Lake	Burnett	WI	A	18.9 ft	215 acres	37 ft
81	Little Sand Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	20 ft	410 acres	80 ft
82	Upper Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	18.7 ft	1,024 acres	92 ft
83	Scalp Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	20 ft	254 acres	90 ft
84	Lake Lucerne	Forest	WI	A	18.5 ft	1,039 acres	73 ft
85	Sand Lake	Cass	MN	A	20 ft	149 acres	54 ft
86	Lower Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	18.5 ft	784 acres	41 ft
87	Sylvan Lake	Cass	MN	A	19.5 ft	1,280 acres	-
88	Big Portage Lake	Vilas	WI	A	18.5 ft	586 acres	40 ft
89	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	19.5 ft	700 acres	100 ft
90	Mildred Lake	Oneida	WI	A	18.5 ft	168 acres	45 ft
91	Boot Lake	Becker	MN	A	19.5 ft	385 acres	109 ft
92	Sand Lake	Burnett	WI	A	18.3 ft	900 acres	73 ft
93	Big Bass Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	19.4 ft	133 acres	60 ft
94	Middle Eau Claire Lake	Bayfield	WI	A	18.2 ft	880 acres	66 ft
95	Lone Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	19.4 ft	69 acres	70 ft
96	White Sand Lake Deep	Vilas	WI	A	18 ft	1,181 acres	63 ft
97	Long Lake	Becker	MN	A	19.3 ft	415 acres	61 ft
98	Presque Isle Lake	Vilas	WI	A	18 ft	1,165 acres	103 ft
99	East Silent Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	19.2 ft	324 acres	48 ft
100	Stormy Lake	Vilas	WI	A	18 ft	523 acres	63 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.

Top Picks: Kayaking Lakes

St James Pit Lake

St. Louis County, MN · Grade A

Wazee Lake

Jackson County, WI · Grade A

Caribou Lake

Itasca County, MN · Grade A

Black Oak Lake

Vilas County, WI · Grade A

Clearwater Lake

Cook County, MN · Grade A

Bardon Lake

Douglas County, WI · Grade A

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.