Best Swimming Lakes in Minnesota & Wisconsin

The best lakes for swimming in Minnesota and Wisconsin. Grade A and B water quality, public beach access, and clean water. Ranked by clarity, safety, and accessibility.

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	Beaches	Area
1	Geneva Lake	Walworth	WI	A	20.2 ft	6	5,401 acres
2	Clear Lake	Oneida	WI	A	—	2	873 acres
3	Geneva Lake	Walworth	WI	A	20.7 ft	6	5,401 acres
4	Geneva Lake Site B	Walworth	WI	A	24.1 ft	6	5,401 acres
5	Rock Lake	Jefferson	WI	A	12 ft	2	1,365 acres
6	Green Lake	Green Lake	WI	B	13.1 ft	3	7,920 acres
7	Long Lake	Fond du Lac	WI	B	9.1 ft	2	423 acres
8	Green Lake	Green Lake	WI	B	13 ft	3	7,920 acres
9	Green Lake	Green Lake	WI	B	14.1 ft	3	7,920 acres
10	Lake St. Croix	St. Croix	WI	B	5.6 ft	6	7,696 acres
11	Green Lake East Basin	Green Lake	WI	B	11.8 ft	3	7,920 acres
12	East Fox Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	16.4 ft	—	241 acres
13	North Long Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	15.1 ft	—	6,190 acres
14	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	A	25 ft	—	803 acres
15	Big Sugar Bush Lake	Becker	MN	A	16.5 ft	—	522 acres
16	Round Lake	Cook	MN	A	16.5 ft	—	154 acres
17	Horseshoe Lake	Cass	MN	A	21 ft	—	260 acres
18	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	21.5 ft	—	1,007 acres
19	Long Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	20.5 ft	—	159 acres
20	Long Lake	Becker	MN	A	19.3 ft	—	415 acres
21	Long Lake	Cass	MN	A	17 ft	—	246 acres
22	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	16.7 ft	—	155 acres
23	Long Lake	Itasca	MN	A	16.9 ft	—	134 acres
24	Dead Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	16 ft	—	131 acres
25	Otter Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	18 ft	—	77 acres
26	Ossawinnamakee Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	20 ft	—	711 acres
27	Clear Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	18 ft	—	226 acres
28	Clear Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	15 ft	—	574 acres
29	Clear Lake	Itasca	MN	A	14.9 ft	—	140 acres
30	Eagle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	22.6 ft	—	907 acres
31	Ida Lake	Douglas	MN	A	16.4 ft	—	4,445 acres
32	Star Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	17 ft	—	4,486 acres
33	Upper Maple Lake	Wright	MN	A	17.2 ft	—	633 acres
34	Fish Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	18 ft	—	293 acres
35	Birch Lake	Wright	MN	A	15 ft	—	100 acres
36	Birch Lake	Cook	MN	A	18 ft	—	236 acres
37	Woman Lake	Cass	MN	A	15 ft	—	-
38	Girl Lake	Cass	MN	A	17.6 ft	—	428 acres
39	Little Toad Lake	Becker	MN	A	15 ft	—	406 acres
40	Charlotte Lake	Wright	MN	A	17.1 ft	—	253 acres
41	Bass Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	17.4 ft	—	-
42	Bass Lake	Itasca	MN	A	18.2 ft	—	122 acres
43	Bass Lake	Cass	MN	A	—	—	195 acres
44	Crooked Lake	Stearns	MN	A	15.5 ft	—	77 acres
45	Crooked Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	19 ft	—	-
46	Crooked Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	15 ft	—	905 acres
47	Cedar Lake	Morrison	MN	A	16.2 ft	—	236 acres
48	Pelican Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	16.4 ft	—	3,962 acres
49	Square Lake	Washington	MN	A	17 ft	—	203 acres
50	Big Pine Lake	Aitkin	MN	A	17 ft	—	638 acres
51	Strawberry Lake	Becker	MN	A	17.5 ft	—	1,498 acres
52	Alexander Lake	Morrison	MN	A	16.5 ft	—	2,709 acres
53	Mcavity Lake	Itasca	MN	A	17.3 ft	—	147 acres
54	Gull Lake	Cass	MN	A	15 ft	—	10,010 acres
55	Gull Lake	Cook	MN	A	15.5 ft	—	-
56	Deep Portage Lake	Cass	MN	A	15.4 ft	—	129 acres
57	Little Wabana Lake	Itasca	MN	A	24 ft	—	116 acres
58	Clearwater Lake	Cook	MN	A	29 ft	—	462 acres
59	Lower Hay Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	18.5 ft	—	700 acres
60	Latoka Lake	Douglas	MN	A	19 ft	—	767 acres
61	Pike Lake	Cook	MN	A	17.4 ft	—	814 acres
62	Pike Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	18 ft	—	488 acres
63	Unnamed Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	15.1 ft	—	1,357 acres
64	Maple Lake	Itasca	MN	A	15.3 ft	—	255 acres
65	Shallow Lake	Itasca	MN	A	16.4 ft	—	539 acres
66	Trout Lake	Itasca	MN	A	16 ft	—	1,862 acres
67	Trout Lake	Cook	MN	A	18.4 ft	—	259 acres
68	Cowdry Lake	Douglas	MN	A	17.1 ft	—	243 acres
69	Blue Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	17.3 ft	—	336 acres
70	Partridge Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	16.2 ft	—	188 acres
71	Sand Lake	Cass	MN	A	20 ft	—	149 acres
72	Union Lake	Polk	MN	A	15 ft	—	-
73	Tofte Lake	Lake	MN	A	18.5 ft	—	134 acres
74	Andrusia Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	15.1 ft	—	1,596 acres
75	Big Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	17.4 ft	—	992 acres
76	Island Lake	Cass	MN	A	15.5 ft	—	358 acres
77	Island Lake	Becker	MN	A	15 ft	—	1,179 acres
78	Island Lake	Crow Wing	MN	A	15.1 ft	—	232 acres
79	Island Lake	Cass	MN	A	17.5 ft	—	184 acres
80	Island Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	16 ft	—	-
81	Island Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	16.4 ft	—	225 acres
82	Moose Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	15.1 ft	—	601 acres
83	Portage Lake	Cass	MN	A	21 ft	—	277 acres
84	Lizzie Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	16.4 ft	—	1,913 acres
85	Eagles Nest Lake	St. Louis	MN	A	15.5 ft	—	1,028 acres
86	Turtle Lake	Becker	MN	A	23 ft	—	196 acres
87	Turtle Lake	Itasca	MN	A	17.1 ft	—	120 acres
88	Rice Lake	Itasca	MN	A	15 ft	—	863 acres
89	Pokegama Lake	Itasca	MN	A	16.1 ft	—	6,721 acres
90	Sandy Lake	Beltrami	MN	A	16 ft	—	-
91	Pickerel Lake	Becker	MN	A	18 ft	—	361 acres
92	Pickerel Lake	Clearwater	MN	A	16.1 ft	—	143 acres
93	George Lake	Kandiyohi	MN	A	15 ft	—	228 acres
94	Middle Cormorant Lake	Becker	MN	A	15.1 ft	—	373 acres
95	Upper Bottle Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	16 ft	—	459 acres
96	Ox Yoke Lake	Cass	MN	A	17.5 ft	—	185 acres
97	West Battle Lake	Otter Tail	MN	A	18 ft	—	5,615 acres
98	Wabana Lake	Itasca	MN	A	18 ft	—	2,221 acres
99	Little Mantrap Lake	Hubbard	MN	A	17 ft	—	381 acres
100	Caribou Lake	Itasca	MN	A	31 ft	—	247 acres

Frequently Asked Questions

Which lakes are safest for swimming in Minnesota and Wisconsin?

The safest swimming lakes have Grade A or B water quality, meaning low algae levels, high water clarity, and minimal risk of harmful algae blooms. All lakes on this list have public beach access and excellent water quality scores.

How is swimming safety determined?

Swimming safety is based on three factors: water clarity (Secchi depth), phosphorus levels (which fuel algae growth), and chlorophyll-a concentration (a measure of actual algae present). Grade A and B lakes have the lowest risk of harmful algae blooms.

Top Picks: Swimming Lakes

Geneva Lake

Walworth County, WI · Grade A

Clear Lake

Oneida County, WI · Grade A

Geneva Lake

Walworth County, WI · Grade A

Geneva Lake Site B

Walworth County, WI · Grade A

Rock Lake

Jefferson County, WI · Grade A

Green Lake

Green Lake County, WI · Grade B

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.