Best Indiana Lakes for Boating

52 Indiana lakes meet our boating bar — each has a cited public-access or conditions signal behind it. Top of the list: Brookville Lake in Franklin County. Ranked by public boat ramps and marinas, then surface acres; surface acreage and live readings are shown where published.

Public boat ramps come from IN DNR open data; marinas from OpenStreetMap; surface acres from USGS NHD or cited research.

  1. 1

    Brookville Lake

    Franklin County, IN4,364 acres

    13 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  2. 2

    Patoka Lake

    Orange County, IN9,121 acres

    12 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  3. 3

    Monroe Lake

    Monroe County, IN11,112 acres

    9 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  4. 4

    Cecil M Harden Lake

    Parke County, IN1,674 acres

    6 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  5. 5

    Salamonie Lake

    Huntington County, IN2,874 acres

    5 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  6. 6

    Mississinewa Lake

    Wabash County, IN2,160 acres

    4 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  7. 7

    Morse Reservoir

    Hamilton County, IN1,440 acres

    3 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  8. 8

    Hovey Lake

    Posey County, IN1,370 acres

    3 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  9. 9

    Cagles Mill Lake

    Owen County, IN1,235 acres

    3 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  10. 10

    Lake Freeman

    White County, IN1,569 acres

    2 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  11. 11

    Dogwood Lake

    Daviess County, IN1,235 acres

    2 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  12. 12

    Summit Lake Reservoir

    Henry County, IN819 acres

    2 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  13. 13

    J C Murphey Lake

    Newton County, IN754 acres

    2 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  14. 14

    Lake Sullivan

    Sullivan County, IN400 acres

    2 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do
  15. 15

    Worster Lake

    Saint Joseph County, IN337 acres

    2 public boat ramps

    See full conditions & things to do

More best-of lists for Indiana lakes

Indiana boating — frequently asked

What is the best lake for boating in Indiana?

Brookville Lake in Franklin County tops the list — 13 public boat ramps. 52 Indiana lakes qualify for this list overall.

How is this Indiana boating list ranked?

Every lake on the list has a cited public-access or conditions signal — never an opinion. We rank by total public ramps (IN DNR) + marinas (OpenStreetMap), then by surface acreage (USGS NHD). LakeVibe doesn't invent rankings: a lake only appears here when the data already supports it.

Which Indiana lakes are best for boating?

Our top picks are Brookville Lake, Patoka Lake, Monroe Lake, Cecil M Harden Lake. Tap any lake for its full conditions, things to do, and where to stay.