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List of lakes in Minneapolis facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Lakes of Minneapolis map
Minneapolis's lakes (dark blue); light blue bodies of water are included in the City of Minneapolis's official count but are either smaller than five acres (two hectares), channels between lakes, or entirely outside Minneapolis's borders. See other bodies of water for more.

Minneapolis is often called the "City of Lakes" because it has many beautiful bodies of water. There are 13 main lakes within the city limits, each at least 5 acres in size. The largest and deepest of these is Bde Maka Ska. It covers about 421 acres and goes down about 90 feet! Lake Hiawatha has a very large watershed, which means a huge area of land drains into it. Ryan Lake is unique because it sits partly in Minneapolis and partly in the nearby city of Robbinsdale.

Long ago, many of Minneapolis's lakes formed in big holes left by giant blocks of ice. This happened after the last ice age. Before European settlers arrived, the Dakota harvested wild rice from these lakes. In the early 1800s, the lake shores were marshy. This made it hard for people to build homes there. However, a Dakota farming community called Ḣeyate Otuŋwe was founded on Bde Maka Ska in 1829.

In the 1880s, a smart landscape architect named Horace Cleveland had a great idea. He saw that Minneapolis would grow a lot. He suggested that the city buy land around the lakes and along Minnehaha Creek. His goal was to create a connected system of parks. This system would make the city more beautiful and benefit everyone living there.

The head of the park board, Charles M. Loring, listened to Cleveland's advice. He bought the land, and later, Theodore Wirth helped develop it into a wonderful park system. During this time, many lakes were changed. Workers drained parts of them, dug out the bottoms, and made the shorelines stronger. They also built roads, called parkways, around the lakes.

Homes near the lakes became very popular. Especially famous is the "Chain of Lakes." This group includes five lakes in the southwest part of the city. These are Bde Maka Ska, Lake Harriet, Lake of the Isles, Cedar Lake, and Brownie Lake. They are all connected by man-made channels.

The lakes are a big part of Minneapolis's identity. You can see a sailboat in the city's logo and a ship's wheel on its flag. These symbols show how important the lakes are to the city. Unlike many other cities, most of Minneapolis's lakeshore is public parkland. This means everyone can enjoy it!

Since they were improved, the lakes have been a magnet for fun activities. People love to swim, sail, and go yachting. You can also canoe, bike, jog, and ice skate there. The 76-mile (122.3 km) Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway is a scenic route that goes around many of Minneapolis's lakes.

Lakes of Minneapolis

Lake Image Area Maximum depth Watershed area Location Notes Refs.
Brownie Lake An aerial shot of a small, slightly oblong lake surrounded on all sides by green trees. On the upper lefthand side are some houses and another lake. The sky is overcast. 18 acres (0.07 km2) 49.9 feet (15.2 m) 369 acres (1.49 km2) 44°58′03″N 93°19′27″W / 44.9675428°N 93.3242747°W / 44.9675428; -93.3242747
Cedar Lake The lake and wooded far shore of Cedar Lake on a sunny day 170 acres (0.69 km2) 50.9 feet (15.5 m) 1,956 acres (7.92 km2) 44°57′36″N 93°19′16″W / 44.9600374°N 93.3209776°W / 44.9600374; -93.3209776
Cemetery Lake Thick bright green bushes grow on the near shore of a small, clear lake; trees stand on the far shore. 11 acres (0.04 km2) Unknown Unknown 44°55′58″N 93°18′22″W / 44.9327725°N 93.3060642°W / 44.9327725; -93.3060642
  • Also known as Jo Pond
  • This lake was made by people
  • Located in Lakewood Cemetery
Diamond Lake A placid lake reflects the clouds in the blue sky above it. A dark tree crosses the foreground. 41 acres (0.17 km2) 6.9 feet (2.1 m) 669 acres (2.71 km2) 44°54′02″N 93°16′09″W / 44.9006469°N 93.2692419°W / 44.9006469; -93.2692419
Grass Lake A thin lake extends away from the camera; spits of land extend into the lake from either side in the midground and trees surround the lake's shore. 27 acres (0.11 km2) 4.9 feet (1.5 m) 386 acres (1.56 km2) 44°53′34″N 93°17′54″W / 44.8927159°N 93.2982813°W / 44.8927159; -93.2982813
Lake Harriet An aerial view of Lake Harriet surrounded by parkland and mostly low residential buildings 353 acres (1.43 km2) 82.0 feet (25.0 m) 1,139 acres (4.61 km2) 44°55′19″N 93°18′22″W / 44.9219536°N 93.3061669°W / 44.9219536; -93.3061669
Lake Hiawatha A placid lake lies under a pink/blue afternoon sky. In the foreground is a well groomed lawn and a border of plants, including a sunflower, that encircles that lake. 54 acres (0.22 km2) 23.0 feet (7.0 m) 115,840 acres (468.79 km2) 44°55′16″N 93°14′10″W / 44.9211849°N 93.2360063°W / 44.9211849; -93.2360063
Lake of the Isles Two small, oblong islands sit in the side of Lake of the Isles, viewed from the air on a smokey day. 103 acres (0.42 km2) 30.8 feet (9.4 m) 735 acres (2.97 km2) 44°57′18″N 93°18′35″W / 44.955087°N 93.3096144°W / 44.955087; -93.3096144
Loring Lake Numerous tall buildings are visible across a small lake full of duckweed. Ducks stand among the low reeds and aquatic grasses. 8 acres (0.03 km2) 17.4 feet (5.3 m) 24 acres (0.10 km2) 44°58′08″N 93°17′04″W / 44.9689373°N 93.2844032°W / 44.9689373; -93.2844032
  • Also known as Loring Pond
Bde Maka Ska An aerial view of Bde Maka Ska, a mostly round lake with two nubby "legs" at its bottom end, surrounded mostly by parks and houses. Downtown Minneapolis is visible at the top of the image. 421 acres (1.70 km2) 89.9 feet (27.4 m) 2,992 acres (12.11 km2) 44°56′31″N 93°18′42″W / 44.9418644°N 93.3117332°W / 44.9418644; -93.3117332
Lake Nokomis Gray storm clouds roll over green trees and plants that rim a choppy gray lake 204 acres (0.83 km2) 33.1 feet (10.1 m) 869 acres (3.52 km2) 44°54′31″N 93°14′31″W / 44.9086107°N 93.2420323°W / 44.9086107; -93.2420323
  • Used to be called Lake Amelia
Powderhorn Lake Willows sit atop a small island in the center of a small, frozen, snow-covered lake surrounded by parkland and residences. 11 acres (0.04 km2) 20.0 feet (6.1 m) 286 acres (1.16 km2) 44°56′30″N 93°15′24″W / 44.9417498°N 93.2568019°W / 44.9417498; -93.2568019
Ryan Lake A dock that widens at the end extends out into a choppy lake on a cloudy day. 18 acres (0.07 km2) 35.1 feet (10.7 m) 5,510 acres (22.30 km2) 45°02′28″N 93°19′20″W / 45.0410713°N 93.3221358°W / 45.0410713; -93.3221358

Other Water Bodies in Minneapolis

Aquatic plants cover the foreground half of a lake while the background half is open and slightly choppy. A Loch Ness Monster-esque sculpture floats in the lake.
Grass, reeds, and new trees stand before a brown lake with a highway and residences on the far shore.
Wirth Lake (top) is managed by Minneapolis parks but is in Golden Valley; Lake Mead (bottom) is smaller than five acres.

Some lists, including the City of Minneapolis's own data, count up to 22 lakes. However, some of these are not truly within the city or are smaller than what is usually called a lake.

For example, some "lakes" on these lists are actually outside Minneapolis's borders:

  • Mother Lake (48 acres)
  • Wirth Lake (39 acres)
  • Taft Lake (14 acres)

Other bodies of water are counted but are smaller than five acres:

  • Birch Lake (3.2 acres)
  • Spring Lake (2.3 acres)
  • Lake Mead (1.8 acres)
  • Legion Lake (0.5 acres)

The Minneapolis data also lists two channels connecting larger lakes as "lakes":

  • Cedar–Isles Channel (5.4 acres)
  • Maka Ska–Isles Channel (3.4 acres)

Besides these, Minneapolis also has 46 ponds.

See also

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