Destinations
12 Hidden Gem Lakes in Minnesota Worth the Drive
A dozen lesser-known Minnesota lakes across the state, each with verified size, depth and public access details and honest notes on the downsides.
Updated
These twelve lakes are not secrets to the people who live near them, but they rarely make statewide lists, and each one rewards the drive. We only included lakes whose acreage, depth, clarity and access we could confirm in the DNR's LakeFinder surveys and state park pages in October 2026. Each entry includes the catch, because every lake has one.
At a glance
| Lake | County | Area (acres) | Max depth (feet) | Avg. clarity (feet) | Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear Head | St. Louis | 662 | 46 | 12.2 | Bear Head Lake State Park |
| Bean and Bear | Lake | 31 and 18 | 26 and 69 | 10.7 and 16.0 | Trail from Silver Bay; Superior Hiking Trail |
| Caribou | Itasca | 247 | 152 | 30.8 | Forest Service access off Hwy 38 |
| Coon-Sandwick | Itasca | 594 | 36 | 12.5 | Scenic State Park |
| Sturgeon | St. Louis | 1,585 | 80 | 12.8 | McCarthy Beach State Park |
| Elk | Clearwater | 303 | 93 | 10.6 | Itasca State Park |
| Annie Battle | Otter Tail | 354 | 51 | 14.5 | Glendalough State Park |
| Andrew | Kandiyohi | 759 | 26 | 11.4 | Sibley State Park |
| Hayes | Roseau | 182 | 28 | 5.4 | Hayes Lake State Park |
| Bronson | Kittson | 312 | 29 | 3.9 | Lake Bronson State Park |
| Shetek | Murray | 3,462 | 10 | 1.0 | Lake Shetek State Park |
| Split Rock | Pipestone | 96 | 16 | 2.0 | Split Rock Creek State Park |
Northeast
1. Bear Head Lake, near Ely
Bear Head has the feel of a Boundary Waters lake with a drive-in campground. The state park wraps the lake's northwest bay, where you will find the beach, boat access and rentals. Fishing is for walleye, bass, pike, crappie and bluegill, with a five-fish sunfish limit to keep the panfish respectable. There are backpack sites and one campsite reachable only by water.
The catch: The campground fills on summer weekends, and you need a park permit to use the access.
2. Bean and Bear lakes, above Silver Bay
Two small lakes stacked in a rock cleft high above Lake Superior, best known from the overlook on the Superior Hiking Trail. They are designated trout lakes: Bean holds rainbow trout and splake, and Bear, at 69 feet deep in just 18 acres, holds lake trout and splake. An ATV and snowmobile trail on the north side of Silver Bay reaches a small ramp on Bean, and a 0.2-mile portage connects it to Bear.
The catch: This is a hike, not a drive-up. Trout stamp rules apply, live minnows are prohibited, and the lakes are closed to fishing outside trout season.
North central
3. Caribou Lake, near Marcell
If you want to see what clear water looks like, come here. Caribou averages nearly 31 feet of clarity in DNR records, which puts a natural lake in the same league as the Cuyuna mine pits, and it drops to 152 feet. The Forest Service maintains an access on the southwest shore off Highway 38 in the Chippewa National Forest. The fishery is lake trout, smallmouth and largemouth bass and bluegill.
The catch: Clear, deep, infertile lakes do not grow many fish. Lake trout are under a special rule (all under 20 inches released, limit of one), and the bass can see you coming. Treat it as a swimming, paddling and snorkeling lake that happens to have fish.
4. Coon-Sandwick Lake, Scenic State Park
Scenic State Park, near Bigfork in Itasca County, protects virgin pine along the entire shoreline of Coon and Sandwick lakes. An esker, a narrow glacial ridge, runs between the basins, and park trails follow it. The DNR calls these the most popular spots in the park for walleye, northern pike, bass and panfish. There are two park accesses, a swimming beach and several boat-in campsites.
The catch: Pike from 24 to 36 inches must be released. Eurasian watermilfoil is present, so clean your boat on the way out.
5. Sturgeon Lake, McCarthy Beach State Park
North of Hibbing in St. Louis County, Sturgeon Lake has a half-mile sand beach with shallow water that extends hundreds of feet out, about as good as inland swimming gets for small kids. It is the main lake in a chain of five connected lakes and reaches 80 feet deep, with walleye, pike, bass and panfish.
The catch: The DNR notes its own access at the park is very shallow and makes launching difficult. The park also offers a launch on Side Lake.
6. Elk Lake, Itasca State Park
Everyone at Itasca goes to the headwaters. Few drive Wilderness Drive to Elk Lake, a 303-acre, 93-foot-deep lake elsewhere in the park with a small access at its north end. It holds muskellunge along with walleye, bass and panfish, and the shoreline is undeveloped park forest.
The catch: Parking at the access is tight (the DNR says about three rigs), all lakes in the park have speed restrictions, and Wilderness Drive can close on short notice.
West central
7. Annie Battle Lake, Glendalough State Park
One of the quietest fishing lakes in Otter Tail County. The DNR manages Annie Battle as a non-motorized heritage fishery: gas and electric motors are prohibited, and so are power augers, underwater cameras and other electronic fish-finding devices. Special limits (five crappie, for one) keep the panfish large. The park has cart-in and canoe-in campsites instead of a drive-in campground, and rents canoes and kayaks by the carry-in access.
The catch: Carry-in access only, so no trailers. Zebra mussels are present.
8. Lake Andrew, Sibley State Park
Near New London, Sibley is a favorite with locals and oddly overlooked by the Twin Cities crowd two hours east. Lake Andrew has clear water for this part of the state, a beach, a fishing pier and two accesses. Hike up Mount Tom for the view, then fish crappies in the evening. A canoe route with short portages leads to smaller lakes inside the park.
The catch: Lake Andrew has both Eurasian watermilfoil and zebra mussels. It is a busy, well-developed park in summer, not a wilderness.
Northwest
9. Hayes Lake, Hayes Lake State Park
On the edge of Beltrami Island State Forest south of Roseau, this small reservoir was built for recreation when the park was developed, and only electric motors are allowed. It is one of the few places in the state where the DNR's own description mentions sharing the shoreline with loons and moose. Fishing is for crappie, sunfish, largemouth bass and pike.
The catch: It is a stained, fertile reservoir with about five feet of clarity, not a clear northern lake. The drive is long from almost everywhere.
10. Lake Bronson, Kittson County
In the far northwest corner, where prairie meets aspen parkland, Lake Bronson is nearly the only lake for many miles. It was created in the 1930s after drought dried up local wells; dam construction began in 1936. The park has an observation tower, a beach and walleye, pike and panfish.
The catch: As of fall 2026 the dam is under reconstruction, and the park's Lakeside campgrounds are closed during the work; the Two Rivers Campground remains open. Check the park page for lake levels before planning a trip around boating. Zebra mussels are present.
Southwest
11. Lake Shetek, Murray County
The DNR calls Shetek the largest lake in southwestern Minnesota and the headwaters of the Des Moines River. At 3,462 acres it feels big, with islands, bays and a causeway you can walk to Loon Island. The state park has a beach, a WPA-era stone beach house, campgrounds and a bike trail into Currie. It is a productive walleye, crappie and catfish lake.
The catch: Shetek is 10 feet deep at most and averages about one foot of clarity. It is often green by midsummer; watch for blue-green algae advisories. Zebra mussels are present.
12. Split Rock Lake, Pipestone County
Pipestone County has no natural lakes, so in the late 1930s the WPA dammed Split Rock Creek to make one. The result is a 96-acre lake in a small state park with a beach, an accessible fishing pier and a shaded campground seven miles southwest of Pipestone. Pair it with a stop at Pipestone National Monument.
The catch: Small, shallow and murky, with two feet of clarity. The access suits small boats only. Come for a quiet prairie evening, not a lake vacation.
How to do these well
- Permits and reservations. Ten of the twelve are in state parks: you need a vehicle permit, and every campsite must be reserved. See the camping reservations guide.
- Go midweek or in September. The lakes are the same and the people are gone.
- Clean, drain, dry. Several of these lakes have zebra mussels or Eurasian watermilfoil and the rest do not. Follow clean, drain, dispose.
Bottom line
- For clear water, go north and east: Caribou, Bear Head, Sturgeon, Annie Battle.
- For solitude, pick the lakes with motor limits or a walk: Annie Battle, Hayes, Bean and Bear.
- On the prairie, adjust expectations and enjoy the only water for miles. The trip planner can string a few together.