Minnesota Border Waters

41 Minnesota lakes shared with Canada, Wisconsin, the Dakotas or Iowa.

Border waters have their own seasons, limits and licensing rules, published separately in the Minnesota fishing regulations. On Canadian border lakes you also need to know where the international boundary runs and what you must do before crossing it.

1.Rainy Lake

St. Louis · International Falls210,200 acres

FishingIce FishingBoatingPaddling

2.Gunflint Lake

Cook · Grand Marais4,009 acres

FishingIce FishingBoatingPaddling

3.Lake of the Woods

Lake of the Woods · Long Point725,583 acres

FishingIce FishingBoatingPaddling

4.Lake St. Croix

Washington · Stillwater8,393 acres

FishingBoatingPaddlingSwimming

5.St. Louis River Estuary

St. Louis · Duluth10,255 acres

FishingBoatingPaddlingSwimming

6.Saganaga Lake

Cook · Grand Marais18,767 acres

FishingIce FishingBoatingPaddling

7.Big Stone Lake

Big Stone · Ortonville11,984 acres

FishingIce FishingBoatingPaddling

8.Basswood Lake

Lake · Ely25,953 acres

FishingIce FishingPaddlingSwimming

9.Lake Pepin

Goodhue · Lake City12,299 acres

FishingBoatingPaddlingSwimming

10.Lake Traverse

Traverse · Browns Valley10,849 acres

FishingIce FishingBoatingPaddling

11.Namakan Lake

St. Louis · Ray24,066 acres

FishingIce FishingPaddlingCamping

12.Knife Lake

Lake · Ely4,919 acres

FishingIce FishingPaddlingCamping

All 41 lakes

Sorted by rank. Tap a lake for access, fish species and directions.

Lake	County	Shared with	Acres	Max depth	Score
Rainy Lakenear International Falls	St. Louis	Canada	210,200	161 ft	89 out of 100 Lake Score
Gunflint Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	Canada	4,009	200 ft	86 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake of the Woodsnear Long Point	Lake of the Woods	Canada	725,583	210 ft	84 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake St. Croixnear Stillwater	Washington	Wisconsin	8,393	78 ft	83 out of 100 Lake Score
St. Louis River Estuarynear Duluth	St. Louis	Wisconsin	10,255	55 ft	82 out of 100 Lake Score
Saganaga Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	Canada	18,767	280 ft	79 out of 100 Lake Score
Big Stone Lakenear Ortonville	Big Stone	South Dakota	11,984	16 ft	77 out of 100 Lake Score
Basswood Lakenear Ely	Lake	Canada	25,953	111 ft	76 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Pepinnear Lake City	Goodhue	Wisconsin	12,299	60 ft	76 out of 100 Lake Score
Lake Traversenear Browns Valley	Traverse	South Dakota	10,849	12 ft	75 out of 100 Lake Score
Namakan Lakenear Ray	St. Louis	Canada	24,066	150 ft	71 out of 100 Lake Score
Knife Lakenear Ely	Lake	Canada	4,919	179 ft	70 out of 100 Lake Score
Lac la Croixnear Ely	St. Louis	Canada	29,597	168 ft	67 out of 100 Lake Score
Moose Lakenear Hovland	Cook	Canada	1,026	113 ft	67 out of 100 Lake Score
Sand Point Lakenear Crane Lake	St. Louis	Canada	8,527	184 ft	66 out of 100 Lake Score
Birch Lakenear Ely	Lake	Canada	836	34 ft	66 out of 100 Lake Score
Little Knife Lakenear Ely	Lake	Canada	700	184 ft	66 out of 100 Lake Score
Sucker Lakenear Ely	Lake	Canada	393	31 ft	66 out of 100 Lake Score
South Lakenear Maple Hill	Cook	Canada	1,145	140 ft	64 out of 100 Lake Score
Mountain Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	Canada	1,993	210 ft	61 out of 100 Lake Score
Ottertrack Lakenear Ely	Lake	Canada	1,134	116 ft	61 out of 100 Lake Score
Magnetic Lakenear Maple Hill	Cook	Canada	447	90 ft	60 out of 100 Lake Score
Loon Lakenear Crane Lake	St. Louis	Canada	2,498	76 ft	59 out of 100 Lake Score
Iron Lakenear Winton	St. Louis	Canada	1,962	64 ft	59 out of 100 Lake Score
Little Vermilion Lakenear Crane Lake	St. Louis	Canada	1,288	52 ft	57 out of 100 Lake Score
Little Gunflint Lakenear Maple Hill	Cook	Canada	111	16 ft	55 out of 100 Lake Score
Hendricks Lakenear Hendricks	Lincoln	South Dakota	1,522	9 ft	53 out of 100 Lake Score
Rose Lakenear Maple Hill	Cook	Canada	1,410	90 ft	51 out of 100 Lake Score
North Fowl Lakenear Hovland	Cook	Canada	1,040	10 ft	51 out of 100 Lake Score
Okamanpeedan Lakenear Ceylon	Martin	Iowa	2,268	7 ft	50 out of 100 Lake Score
North Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	Canada	2,349	125 ft	49 out of 100 Lake Score
Marabaeuf Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	Canada	860	55 ft	49 out of 100 Lake Score
Iowa Lakenear Fairmont	Martin	Iowa	705	9 ft	49 out of 100 Lake Score
Little Spirit Lakenear Jackson	Jackson	Iowa	624	8 ft	47 out of 100 Lake Score
Crooked Lakenear Ely	Lake	Canada	10,360	165 ft	46 out of 100 Lake Score
South Fowl Lakenear Hovland	Cook	Canada	1,586	10 ft	46 out of 100 Lake Score
Clove Lakenear Prairie Portage	Cook	Canada	160	25 ft	42 out of 100 Lake Score
Gneiss Lakenear Grand Marais	Cook	Canada	227	70 ft	39 out of 100 Lake Score
Watap Lakenear Maple Hill	Cook	Canada	199	45 ft	36 out of 100 Lake Score
Mud Lakenear Wheaton	Traverse	South Dakota	2,449	7 ft	34 out of 100 Lake Score
Granite Lakenear Prairie Portage	Cook	Canada	306	45 ft	32 out of 100 Lake Score