US lakes & pondsUS lakes & pondsGreenwood · Breitung · Beatty · Goodwill · Northeast St. Louis · Vermilion Lake, Minnesota — St. Louis County.
Surface area: The USGS National Hydrography Dataset outline (NHD Permanent ID 105954753).
The red circle marks Vermilion Lake.
Towns and counties: U.S. Census Bureau boundaries overlaid on the USGS lake outline.
Official Minnesota DNR pages. Rules and fees change; check before you go.
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.
Fish species found in Minnesota DNR lake surveys: Black crappie, Bluegill, Brown bullhead, Burbot, Green sunfish, Hybrid sunfish, Lake whitefish, Largemouth bass, Muskellunge, Northern pike, Pumpkinseed, Rock bass, Smallmouth bass, Tullibee (cisco), Walleye, White sucker, Yellow perch.
Average depth not published.
Shallow (littoral) area: 15,006 of 39,272 acres
Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources LakeFinder record for Vermilion Lake (DOW 69037800), with lake survey reports, depth maps and stocking history. Acreage here can differ slightly from our mapped outline.
Numbers on the map match the list at rightbelow.
Shoreline: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD Waterbody, Permanent ID 105954753), 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.
OpenStreetMap shows about 2.8 mi of public hiking and walking trail within about 100 m (330 ft) of the Vermilion Lake shoreline, mostly along the east and south shores. About 0.4 mi of it is on islands, which you can reach only by boat.
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.
We found 14 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles of Vermilion Lake, 6 of them within 5 miles. 6 are right on the shore. Distances are straight-line from the nearest point on the shoreline, so driving distance is longer.
Drinking water
Electric hookups · Toilets · Drinking water
Electric hookups · Toilets · Drinking water
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.
Live from the National Weather Service API for the lake's coordinates (47.8791, -92.4633). The nearest station may be several miles away. NWS forecast for Vermilion Lake. No live water-temperature sensor is shown because we haven't found a public one for this lake.
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.
16 public access sites listed, 16 with a boat ramp or trailer launch.
| Site | Town | Owner | Type | Parking | Fee | Uses | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boat ramp | Goodwill | — | Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp | — | — | Boating | 47.9568, -92.4790 |
| Boat ramp | Northeast St. Louis | — | Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp | — | — | Boating | 47.8935, -92.2413 |
| Vermilion Lake, Black Duck Bay Public Water Access Site | Greenwood | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 35 trailer | — | Fishing, Boating Restroom | 47.8849, -92.4005 |
| Vermilion Lake, Cable Bay Public Water Access Site | Greenwood | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 15 trailer, 6 car | — | Fishing, Boating | 47.8443, -92.2039 |
| Vermilion Lake, Everett Bay Public Water Access Site | Greenwood | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp | 12 trailer | — | Fishing, Boating | 47.8331, -92.3487 |
| Vermilion Lake, Frazer Bay Public Water Access Site | Greenwood | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 24 trailer | — | Fishing, Boating Restroom | 47.8666, -92.4697 |
| Vermilion Lake, Head o Lakes Public Water Access Site | Greenwood | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 10 trailer | — | Fishing, Boating Restroom | 47.9486, -92.6625 |
| Vermilion Lake, Hoodoo (N) Public Water Access Site | Greenwood | City of Tower | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 37 trailer | — | Fishing, Boating Restroom | 47.8199, -92.2956 |
| Vermilion Lake, Hoodoo Public Water Access Site | Greenwood | City of Tower | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 5 trailer | — | Fishing, Boating | 47.8168, -92.2955 |
| Vermilion Lake, McKinley Park Public Water Access Site | Greenwood | Breitung Township | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 20 car | — | Fishing, Boating | 47.8282, -92.2741 |
| Vermilion Lake, Moccasin Point Public Water Access Site | Greenwood | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 25 trailer, 15 car | — | Fishing, Boating Restroom | 47.8894, -92.3786 |
| Vermilion Lake, Norwegian Bay Public Water Access Site | Greenwood | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 10 trailer | — | Fishing, Boating | 47.9581, -92.5423 |
| Vermilion Lake, Oak Narrows Public Water Access Site | Greenwood | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 40 trailer, 12 car | — | Fishing, Boating Restroom | 47.9104, -92.4734 |
| Vermilion Lake, Pederson Landing (Wakemup Bay) Public Water Access Site | Greenwood | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 18 trailer | — | Fishing, Boating Restroom | 47.9032, -92.5869 |
| Vermilion Lake, Polley Road Public Water Access Site | Greenwood | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | — | — | Fishing, Boating | 47.8993, -92.5540 |
| Vermilion Lake, Stuntz Bay Public Water Access Site | Greenwood | Breitung Township | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 10 trailer | — | Fishing, Boating | 47.8265, -92.2383 |
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.
Reported on or near Vermilion Lake
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.
Vermilion Lake covers about 38,886 acres in Greenwood, Breitung, Beatty and Goodwill, Minnesota (St. Louis County).
The maximum recorded depth is 76 feet, according to the Minnesota DNR LakeFinder.
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder lists Walleye, Muskellunge, Northern pike, Largemouth bass, Smallmouth bass, Black crappie, Bluegill, Yellow perch, Tullibee (cisco) and Lake whitefish and 7 more.
Yes. 16 public trailer launches are listed: Vermilion Lake, Norwegian Bay Public Water Access Site, Vermilion Lake, Pederson Landing (Wakemup Bay) Public Water Access Site and Vermilion Lake, Head o Lakes Public Water Access Site. Check posted fees and parking rules.
Yes. We list 14 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles, 6 of them within 5 miles.
Vermilion Lake touches Greenwood, Breitung, Beatty, Goodwill, Northeast St. Louis and Vermilion Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Know Vermilion 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).
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