Six Mile Creek (Minnesota) facts for kids
Six Mile Creek is a waterway in Minnesota, United States. It collects water from a large area south and west of Lake Minnetonka. The creek flows through parts of Hennepin and Carver Counties. It eventually reaches its end on the western shore of Halstead's Bay, which is the westernmost part of Lake Minnetonka. The land around the creek is mostly used for farming, but more homes are being built there too.
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Six Mile Creek: A Minnesota Waterway
Six Mile Creek is an important natural feature in Minnesota. It helps manage water flow from many smaller lakes and streams, guiding it all towards Lake Minnetonka. Understanding how creeks like this work helps us learn about our local environment and how water moves through the land.
Where Does Six Mile Creek Flow?
The journey of Six Mile Creek begins at Lake Pierson. This lake is considered the "headwaters," meaning it's where the creek starts. From Lake Pierson, the creek flows through several other lakes before reaching Lake Minnetonka.
The lakes it passes through are:
- Marsh Lake
- Wasserman Lake
- Lake Auburn
- Lunsten Lake
- Parley Lake
- Mud Lake
After flowing through Mud Lake, Six Mile Creek finally reaches its destination, Lake Minnetonka.
What Makes the Creek Unique?
Six Mile Creek has a very gentle slope, which means the land it flows over is quite flat. Because of this, the water in the creek often moves very slowly. Sometimes, the water can even become "stagnant," meaning it stays still for a while, almost like a pond.
The creek is about 11 miles (18 km) long in total. Interestingly, the reason it's called "Six Mile Creek" isn't fully clear, even though it's longer than six miles! However, the distance from Parley Lake to Lake Minnetonka is about six miles (9.7 km).
If you enjoy boating, you'll be interested to know that Wasserman Lake and Parley Lake have public boat access points. These are managed by the Department of Natural Resources, making it easier for people to enjoy the water.
Understanding the Six Mile Creek Watershed
A watershed is like a giant bowl that collects all the rain and snowmelt in an area, directing it towards a common point, like a river, lake, or ocean. The Six Mile Creek watershed is the entire area of land that drains into Six Mile Creek.
This watershed is quite large, covering about 17,000 acres (69 km2). This means that any rain or snow that falls within this huge area will eventually flow into Six Mile Creek and then into Lake Minnetonka.
Besides the lakes that the creek flows directly through, there are other lakes in the watershed whose water also eventually ends up in Six Mile Creek. These include:
- Carl Krey Lake
- Church Lake
- Crosby Lake
- Stieger Lake
- Stone Lake
- Sunny Lake
- Turbid Lake
- Zumbra Lake
All these lakes and the land around them are connected by the flow of water, showing how important watersheds are for our environment.
