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Rainy Lake

Northwest St. Louis · Rainy Lake, Minnesota — St. Louis County.

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45,770Surface acres
20Public access sites
4.8 miShoreline trails

Surface area: The USGS National Hydrography Dataset outline (NHD Permanent ID 120019354).

Location & fast facts

Where Rainy Lake is in Minnesota

The red circle marks Rainy Lake.

Fast facts

About Rainy Lake

  • Counties: St. Louis, Koochiching
  • Shore towns: Northwest St. Louis, Rainy Lake
  • Mapped as: Lake or pond (USGS National Hydrography Dataset)
  • Distance: about 249 mi from Minneapolis and 128 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. 20 public trailer launches listed (see access)
  • Walking. 4.8 mi of trail near the shore (trails)
  • Camping. 161 campgrounds within 15 mi, 49 on the shore (list)

Watch for

  • Non-native/invasive species. Zebra mussel, Curly-leaf pondweed and Spiny waterflea 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.
  • 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.

Lake map

Rainy Lake shoreline, boat launches & beaches

Alder Creek (campground)Arden Island (campground)Breakwater Cove (campground)Channel View (campground)Diamond Island South (campground)Dryweed Island (campground)Dryweed Island North (campground)Harrison Bay (campground)Jack Pine Bench (campground)Krantz Point (campground)Loon Bay (campground)Loon Cove (campground)Lyle Mine Island (campground)Mio Beach (campground)Rock Shelf (campground)Stones Point (campground)Tango Channel (campground)Whites Point (campground)Makinen Point (campground)Sunrise Point (campground)Rainy Lake RV (campground)Anderson Bay West (campground)Beaver Lodge (campground)Big Island (campground)Blueberry Island West (campground)Cranberry Creek (campground)Finlander Island (campground)Fish Camp Island (campground)Hanson (campground)Hitchcock Island (campground)Kawawia Island (campground)Kempton Entrance East (campground)Little Finlander Is (campground)Logging Camp (campground)Lost Bay (campground)Nelson Island (campground)Nuthatch (campground)Ogichi Daa Kwe (campground)Pine Island View (campground)Rainy Lake Group (campground)Reuter Creek (campground)Saginaw Bay (campground)Saginaw Bay West (campground)Shelland Island (campground)Soboleski Bay South (campground)The Lakeview RV Sites and Cabins (campground)Three Sisters Island (campground)Virgin Island South (campground)Windmill Rock View (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)8Boat ramp (Boat launch)9Boat ramp (Boat launch)10Boat ramp (Boat launch)11Boat ramp (Boat launch)12Boat ramp (Boat launch)13Boat ramp (Boat launch)14Boat ramp (Boat launch)15Rainy Lake, Black Bay Narrows Rainy Lake Visitor Center Public Water Access Site (Boat launch)16Rainy Lake, Dove Island Public Water Access Site (Boat launch)17Rainy Lake, Frank Bohman Memorial Public Water Access Site (Boat launch)18Rainy Lake, Ranier Public Water Access Site (Boat launch)19Rainy Lake, Tilson Public Water Access Site (Boat launch)201 mileN

Numbers on the map match the list at rightbelow.

Boat launchShoreline trail Campground
  1. 1Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Rainy Lake
  2. 2Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Rainy Lake
  3. 3Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Rainy Lake
  4. 4Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Rainy Lake
  5. 5Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Rainy Lake
  6. 6Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Rainy Lake
  7. 7Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Rainy Lake
  8. 8Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Rainy Lake
  9. 9Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Rainy Lake
  10. 10Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Rainy Lake
  11. 11Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Rainy Lake
  12. 12Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Rainy Lake
  13. 13Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Rainy Lake
  14. 14Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Rainy Lake
  15. 15Boat ramp
    Boat launch · Northwest St. Louis
  16. 16Rainy Lake, Black Bay Narrows Rainy Lake Visitor Center Public Water Access Site
    Boat launch · Northwest St. Louis
  17. 17Rainy Lake, Dove Island Public Water Access Site
    Boat launch · Northwest St. Louis
  18. 18Rainy Lake, Frank Bohman Memorial Public Water Access Site
    Boat launch · Northwest St. Louis
  19. 19Rainy Lake, Ranier Public Water Access Site
    Boat launch · Northwest St. Louis
  20. 20Rainy Lake, Tilson Public Water Access Site
    Boat launch · Northwest St. Louis

Shoreline: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD Waterbody, Permanent ID 120019354), 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

4.8 miTrail within 100 m of shore
Under 5%Of the shoreline
NoLoops the whole lake
East and west shoresWhere

OpenStreetMap shows about 4.8 mi of public hiking and walking trail within about 100 m (330 ft) of the Rainy Lake shoreline, mostly along the east and west shores. About 1.1 mi of it is on islands, which you can reach only by boat.

Trails along the shore

Trailheads & parking

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 Rainy Lake

We found 161 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles of Rainy Lake, 96 of them within 5 miles. 49 are right on the shore. Distances are straight-line from the nearest point on the shoreline, so driving distance is longer.

14 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 (48.5711, -92.8693). The nearest station may be several miles away. NWS forecast for Rainy 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 Rainy 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

    20 public access sites listed, 20 with a boat ramp or trailer launch.

    SiteTownOwnerTypeParkingFeeUsesMap
    Boat rampRainy Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating48.6140, -93.3036
    Boat rampRainy Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating48.6023, -93.2685
    Boat rampRainy Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating48.6125, -93.2629
    Boat rampRainy Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating48.6112, -93.2172
    Boat rampRainy Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating48.5986, -93.2138
    Boat rampRainy Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating48.5791, -93.1877
    Boat rampRainy Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating48.6088, -93.2417
    Boat rampRainy Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating48.5809, -93.1661
    Boat rampRainy Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating48.5995, -93.1874
    Boat rampRainy Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating48.6008, -93.1906
    Boat rampRainy Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating48.5989, -93.1806
    Boat rampRainy Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating48.5988, -93.1674
    Boat rampRainy Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating48.5980, -93.1700
    Boat rampRainy Lake—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating48.6058, -93.2029
    Boat rampNorthwest St. Louis—Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp——Boating48.5012, -92.6347
    Rainy Lake, Black Bay Narrows Rainy Lake Visitor Center Public Water Access SiteNorthwest St. LouisNational Park ServiceTrailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock40 trailer, 40 car—Fishing, Boating
    Restroom    		48.5836, -93.1613
    Rainy Lake, Dove Island Public Water Access SiteNorthwest St. LouisDNR Division of Parks and TrailsTrailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock6 trailer—Fishing, Boating
    Restroom    		48.5967, -93.1687
    Rainy Lake, Frank Bohman Memorial Public Water Access SiteNorthwest St. LouisDNR Division of Parks and TrailsTrailer launch · Concrete plank ramp · dock25 trailer—Fishing, Boating
    Restroom    		48.6087, -93.2896
    Rainy Lake, Ranier Public Water Access SiteNorthwest St. LouisCity of RanierTrailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock8 trailer—Fishing, Boating48.6160, -93.3481
    Rainy Lake, Tilson Public Water Access SiteNorthwest St. LouisDNR Division of Parks and TrailsTrailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock20 trailer, 16 car—Fishing, Boating
    Restroom    		48.5988, -93.2343

    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.

    Non-native/invasive species

    Reported on or near Rainy 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 Rainy Lake

    How big is Rainy Lake?

    Rainy Lake covers about 45,770 acres in Northwest St. Louis and Rainy Lake, Minnesota (St. Louis County).

    Is there a public boat launch on Rainy Lake?

    Yes. 20 public trailer launches are listed: Rainy Lake, Tilson Public Water Access Site, Rainy Lake, Black Bay Narrows Rainy Lake Visitor Center Public Water Access Site and Rainy Lake, Dove Island Public Water Access Site. Check posted fees and parking rules.

    Are there campgrounds near Rainy Lake?

    Yes. We list 161 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles, 96 of them within 5 miles.

    What towns are on Rainy Lake?

    Rainy Lake touches Northwest St. Louis and Rainy Lake in St. Louis County and Koochiching County, Minnesota.

    Share a tip or fishing report

    Know Rainy 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 Northwest St. Louis