US lakes & ponds
Minnesota › Cass County › Pike Bay › Cass Lake

Cass Lake

Pike Bay · Brook Lake · Ten Lake · North Cass · Cass Lake, Minnesota — Cass County.

Share:TextEmailFacebookX
20,696Surface acres
13Public access sites
7.8 miShoreline trails

Surface area: The USGS National Hydrography Dataset outline (NHD Permanent ID 166868528).

Location & fast facts

Where Cass Lake is in Minnesota

The red circle marks Cass Lake.

Fast facts

About Cass Lake

  • Counties: Cass, Beltrami
  • Shore towns: Pike Bay, Brook Lake, Ten Lake, North Cass, Cass Lake
  • Mapped as: Lake or pond (USGS National Hydrography Dataset)
  • Distance: about 178 mi from Minneapolis and 123 mi from Duluth, straight-line (not driving distance)

Towns and counties: U.S. Census Bureau boundaries overlaid on the USGS lake outline.

Fishing in Minnesota

Official Minnesota DNR pages. Rules and fees change; check before you go.

Good for & watch for

Good for

  • Boating. 12 public trailer launches listed (see access)
  • Fishing. Walleye, Muskellunge, Northern pike and Largemouth bass
  • Swimming. 1 public beach or swim spot on the map (details)
  • Walking. 7.8 mi of trail near the shore (trails)
  • Camping. 15 campgrounds within 15 mi, 5 on the shore (list)

Watch for

  • Non-native/invasive species. Zebra mussel, Starry stonewort and Rusty Crayfish recorded. Clean, drain and dry your boat and gear.
  • Boat traffic. A public trailer launch means motorboats share the water; expect more traffic on summer weekends.
  • No lifeguard listed. None of our sources lists a staffed lifeguard. Swim at your own risk and watch children closely.
  • Cold water. Water stays cold well into late spring and turns cold again in fall. Wear a life jacket when paddling in the shoulder seasons.

Built only from the data on this page: official access lists, OpenStreetMap beaches and trails, campground listings, state and USGS invasive-species records. We don't rate crowds or water quality.

Official lake survey (Minnesota DNR)

120 ftMaximum depth
15,958Acres (state figure)

Fish species found in Minnesota DNR lake surveys: Black bullhead, Black crappie, Bluegill, Bowfin (dogfish), Brown bullhead, Burbot, Greater redhorse, Hybrid sunfish, Lake whitefish, Largemouth bass, Muskellunge, Northern pike, Pumpkinseed, Redhorse, Rock bass, Shorthead redhorse, Tullibee (cisco), Walleye, White sucker, Yellow bullhead, Yellow perch.

Average depth not published.

Shallow (littoral) area: 3,119 of 15,958 acres

Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources LakeFinder record for Cass Lake (DOW 04003000), with lake survey reports, depth maps and stocking history. Acreage here can differ slightly from our mapped outline.

Lake map

Cass Lake shoreline, boat launches & beaches

Norway Beach Campground Loop (campground)Knutson Dam Campground (campground)South Pike Bay Campground (campground)Cass Lake Campground Loop (campground)Wanaki Campground Loop (campground)Chippewa Campground (campground)Cass Lake Loop Campground (campground)Boat ramp (Boat launch)1Boat ramp (Boat launch)2Boat ramp (Boat launch)3Boat ramp (Boat launch)4Boat ramp (Boat launch)5Boat ramp (Boat launch)6Boat ramp (Boat launch)7Boat ramp (Boat launch)8Cass Lake (E) Public Water Access Site (Boat launch)9Cass Lake, Hwy 2 Public Water Access Site (Boat launch)10Cass Lake, Norway Beach (S) Public Water Access Site (Boat launch)11Cass Lake, Wanaki (SE) Public Water Access Site (Boat launch)12Cass Lake, Allens Bay (N) Public Water Access Site (Cartop / walk-in)13Norway Beach Swimming Area (Beach)141 mileN

Numbers on the map match the list at rightbelow.

Boat launchCartop / walk-inBeachShoreline trail Campground
  1. 1Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Pike Bay
  2. 2Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Pike Bay
  3. 3Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Ten Lake
  4. 4Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Cass Lake
  5. 5Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Cass Lake
  6. 6Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Cass Lake
  7. 7Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Pike Bay
  8. 8Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Pike Bay
  9. 9Cass Lake (E) Public Water Access Site
    Boat launch · Pike Bay
  10. 10Cass Lake, Hwy 2 Public Water Access Site
    Boat launch · Pike Bay
  11. 11Cass Lake, Norway Beach (S) Public Water Access Site
    Boat launch · Pike Bay
  12. 12Cass Lake, Wanaki (SE) Public Water Access Site
    Boat launch · Pike Bay
  13. 13Cass Lake, Allens Bay (N) Public Water Access Site
    Cartop / walk-in · Pike Bay
  14. 14Norway Beach Swimming Area
    Beach

Shoreline: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD Waterbody, Permanent ID 166868528), public domain. State outline: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb. Points: Minnesota DNR public water access sites (Minnesota Geospatial Commons) and OpenStreetMap boat ramps (ODbL). Dashed trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Interactive map: Leaflet with © OpenStreetMap contributors. Not for navigation.

Shoreline trails

7.8 miTrail within 100 m of shore
About 10%Of the shoreline
NoLoops the whole lake
East and south shoresWhere

OpenStreetMap shows about 7.8 mi of public hiking and walking trail within about 100 m (330 ft) of the Cass Lake shoreline, mostly along the east and south shores. About 3.4 mi of it is on islands, which you can reach only by boat.

Trails along the shore

Getting to the trails

No trailhead is mapped for these trails. The closest public access site is Boat ramp, right on a shoreline trail (Minnesota DNR water access data).

The dashed brown line on the lake map shows these trails. We include paths, footways and marked trails that OpenStreetMap doesn't mark as private, and leave out roads, sidewalks and snowmobile corridors. Mapped trails can still cross private land or close for the season, and not every trail is mapped, so follow posted signs.

Trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). Map data as of Oct 9, 2026. Trail lengths count only the parts within about 100 m of the USGS NHD lake outline.

Campgrounds near Cass Lake

We found 15 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles of Cass Lake, 7 of them within 5 miles. 5 are right on the shore. Distances are straight-line from the nearest point on the shoreline, so driving distance is longer.

9 more within 15 miles

All campgrounds & RV parks in Minnesota

Green tent icons on the lake map mark campgrounds near the shore, and the interactive map shows the closest 12. Amenities are listed only where a source records them; call or check the campground's website before you go, since seasons and rates change every year.

Campground data: Recreation.gov (RIDB) · OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Pulled Oct 12, 2026.

Conditions right now

Air temperature & conditions (nearest NWS station)Loading…
Fetching the latest National Weather Service observation…

Live from the National Weather Service API for the lake's coordinates (47.3995, -94.5633). The nearest station may be several miles away. NWS forecast for Cass Lake. No live water-temperature sensor is shown because we haven't found a public one for this lake.

Sun, moon & best fishing times

Sun & moon at Cass Lake

Best fishing times

Major periodMinor periodDaylight

    Based on solunar theory, an estimate. Major periods (about 2 hours) center on when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot; minor periods (about 1 hour) center on moonrise and moonset. The 0–100 activity score rises during those periods and gets a boost near sunrise and sunset and around the new and full moon. Weather, water temperature and pressure often matter more. Sun and moon times are calculated in your browser from the lake's coordinates with standard astronomy formulas, shown in CT (America/Chicago), and accurate to within a few minutes.

    Boat launches & access sites

    13 public access sites listed, 12 with a boat ramp or trailer launch.

    SiteTownOwnerTypeParkingFeeUsesMap
    Boat rampPike Bay—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating47.3905, -94.5980
    Boat rampPike Bay—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp—No feeBoating47.3295, -94.5840
    Boat rampTen Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating47.4195, -94.6312
    Boat rampCass Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating47.3867, -94.5960
    Boat rampCass Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating47.3848, -94.5930
    Boat rampCass Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating47.3817, -94.5744
    Boat rampPike Bay—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating47.3943, -94.5985
    Boat rampPike Bay—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp—No feeBoating47.3725, -94.5888
    Cass Lake (E) Public Water Access SitePike BayU.S. Forest ServiceTrailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock14 trailer—Fishing, Boating
    Restroom
    47.4499, -94.4849
    Cass Lake, Hwy 2 Public Water Access SitePike BayDNR Division of Parks and TrailsTrailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock24 trailer—Fishing, Boating
    Restroom
    47.3811, -94.5902
    Cass Lake, Norway Beach (S) Public Water Access SitePike BayU.S. Forest ServiceTrailer launch · Concrete slab ramp15 trailer, 20 car—Fishing, Boating
    Restroom
    47.3797, -94.5236
    Cass Lake, Wanaki (SE) Public Water Access SitePike BayU.S. Forest ServiceTrailer launch · Concrete slab ramp——Fishing, Boating
    Restroom
    47.3959, -94.5003
    Cass Lake, Allens Bay (N) Public Water Access SitePike BayDNR Division of Parks and TrailsCarry-in (hand launch)2 trailer, 2 car—Fishing, Boating47.4369, -94.5994

    Minnesota DNR public water access sites (Minnesota Geospatial Commons) and OpenStreetMap boat ramps (ODbL)

    Fees, hours and rules change; confirm with the site owner before you go.

    Public beaches

    On OpenStreetMap: 1 beach or swimming spot on the shore of Cass Lake not marked private, residents-only or members-only.

    BeachTypeAccessDirections
    Norway Beach Swimming AreaBeachAccess not tagged; check posted rulesGet directions

    Beaches: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), within about 150 m (500 ft) of the lake outline. A mapped beach is not a guarantee that swimming is allowed, supervised or safe; some town beaches need a resident sticker even when the map doesn't say so. Check posted rules and water-quality advisories before you swim.

    Non-native/invasive species

    Reported on or near Cass Lake

    Clean, Drain, Dry. Remove plants and mud, drain all water, and dry your boat, trailer and gear before moving to another water.

    USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database

    USGS records matched to this water by location (within about 150 m of the outline) or by the place name in the record. A record shows a sighting was reported; it doesn't prove the species is still there. As of Oct 10, 2026.

    Contact & official info

    Questions about Cass Lake

    How big is Cass Lake?

    Cass Lake covers about 20,696 acres in Pike Bay, Brook Lake, Ten Lake and North Cass, Minnesota (Cass County).

    How deep is Cass Lake?

    The maximum recorded depth is 120 feet, according to the Minnesota DNR LakeFinder.

    What fish are in Cass Lake?

    Minnesota DNR LakeFinder lists Walleye, Muskellunge, Northern pike, Largemouth bass, Black crappie, Bluegill, Yellow perch, Tullibee (cisco), Lake whitefish and Pumpkinseed and 11 more.

    Is there a public boat launch on Cass Lake?

    Yes. 12 public trailer launches are listed: Cass Lake, Hwy 2 Public Water Access Site, Cass Lake, Wanaki (SE) Public Water Access Site and Cass Lake (E) Public Water Access Site. Check posted fees and parking rules.

    Can you swim in Cass Lake?

    OpenStreetMap shows 1 public beach or swimming spot on the shore. None of our sources lists a lifeguard, so swim at your own risk and follow posted rules.

    Are there campgrounds near Cass Lake?

    Yes. We list 15 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles, 7 of them within 5 miles.

    What towns are on Cass Lake?

    Cass Lake touches Pike Bay, Brook Lake, Ten Lake, North Cass and Cass Lake in Cass County and Beltrami County, Minnesota.

    Share a tip or fishing report

    Know Cass Lake? Tell us about the launch, parking, where they're biting or anything a first-time visitor should know. Tips go privately to the LakeRipple editor; nothing is posted automatically. Helpful tips may be featured on this page (we'll use your first name only if you give one).

    Lakes & ponds nearby

    Straight-line distance between lake centers. All Minnesota lakes & ponds · All waters in Pike Bay