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List of lakes in Minneapolis

None

There are 13 lakes of at least 5 acre within the borders of Minneapolis in the U.S. state of Minnesota. Of these, Bde Maka Ska is the largest and deepest, covering 421 acre with a maximum depth of 27.4 m. Lake Hiawatha, through which Minnehaha Creek flows, has a watershed of 115840 acre, two orders of magnitude larger than the next largest watershed in the city. Ryan Lake, in the city's north, sits partially in Minneapolis and partially in neighboring Robbinsdale. Certain other bodies of water are counted on some lists of Minneapolitan lakes, though they may fall outside the city limits or cover fewer than five acres.

Many of Minneapolis's lakes formed in the depressions left by large blocks of ice after the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet at the end of the last glacial period and now overlie sandy or loamy soils. Before the appearance of white settlers, the Dakota harvested wild rice from the lakes. In the early 1800s, the lakes' shorelines were marshy, deterring large-scale settlement and development by white residents though an experimental Dakota agricultural community, Ḣeyate Otuŋwe, was founded on the banks of Bde Maka Ska by Maḣpiya Wic̣aṡṭa in 1829. In the 1880s, landscape architect Horace Cleveland foresaw Minneapolis's growth and made a series of recommendations to the city's Board of Park Commissioners to acquire land along Minnehaha Creek, near Minnehaha Falls, and around several lakes in the southwest portion of the city in order to form a robust, interconnected park system that would aesthetically and morally benefit the city's residents. Board president Charles M. Loring heeded Cleveland's advice and bought the land, later developed into a robust system of parks by Theodore Wirth. During this time, many of the lakes were reformed by the Board of Park Commissioners through draining, dredging, shoreline stabilization, and the construction of parkways around their perimeters. Property in neighborhoods surrounding the lakes grew desirable, especially by the "Chain of Lakes", five lakes in the southwestern portion of the city (Maka Ska, Harriet, Isles, Cedar, and Brownie) that were joined by artificial channels.

Various municipal symbols and icons reference the presence of the lakes in Minneapolitan life and culture, from the sailboat in the city's logo to the ship's wheel on its flag to Minneapolis's nickname, the "City of Lakes". Much of Minneapolis's lakeshore is public parkland, in contrast to other American cities where lakeside property tends to be privately controlled. Since they were dredged, the lakes have drawn city residents for recreation and sport including swimming, sailing, yachting, canoeing, biking, jogging, and ice skating. The 76 mile Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway passes around many of Minneapolis's lakes.

List of lakes

Lake	Image	Area	Maximum depth	Watershed area	Coordinates	Notes
Brownie Lake	[[File:Brownie aerial.jpg	125px	alt=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 acre	15.2 m	369 acre
Cedar Lake	[[File:Cedar Lake in the Morning.jpg	125px	alt=The lake and wooded far shore of Cedar Lake on a sunny day]]	170 acre	15.5 m	1956 acre	last1=Rhodes	first1=James B.	title=The Fort Snelling Area in 1835: A Contemporary Map	journal=Minnesota History	date=March 1956	volume=35	issue=1	pages=22–29	jstor=20175983	url=http://collections.mnhs.org/MNHistoryMagazine/articles/35/v35i01p022-029.pdf}}
Cemetery Lake	[[File:Cemetery Lake (Jo Pond), June 2016.jpg	125px	alt=Thick bright green bushes grow on the near shore of a small, clear lake; trees stand on the far shore.]]	11 acre	Unknown	Unknown	title=Water	url=http://opendata.minneapolismn.gov/datasets/0b2bdda8493c47f088100f831885bdce_0	website=OpenData Minneapolis	publisher=City of Minneapolis	access-date=June 21, 2016	date=June 17, 2012	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160621221622/http://opendata.minneapolismn.gov/datasets/0b2bdda8493c47f088100f831885bdce_0	archive-date=June 21, 2016}}
Diamond Lake	[[File:Diamond Lake, June 2014.jpg	125px	alt=A placid lake reflects the clouds in the blue sky above it. A dark tree crosses the foreground.]]	41 acre	2.1 m	669 acre
Grass Lake	[[File:Grass Lake, June 2016.jpg	125px	alt=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 acre	1.5 m	386 acre
Lake Harriet	[[File:Hennepin county MN Lake Harriet IMG 1768 from east.JPG	125px	alt=An aerial view of Lake Harriet surrounded by parkland and mostly low residential buildings]]	353 acre	25.0 m	1139 acre
Lake Hiawatha	[[File:Lake Hiawatha in afternoon with sunflowers.jpg	125px	alt=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 acre	7.0 m	115840 acre	last1=Felien	first1=Ed	title=The future of Hiawatha Golf Course	url=http://southsidepride.com/2017/11/07/the-future-of-hiawatha-golf-course/	access-date=January 30, 2018	work=Southside Pride	date=November 7, 2017	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171108022424/http://southsidepride.com/2017/11/07/the-future-of-hiawatha-golf-course/	archive-date=November 8, 2017}}
Lake of the Isles	[[File:Minneapolis Smoke (52975830987).jpg	125px	alt=Two small, oblong islands sit in the side of Lake of the Isles, viewed from the air on a smokey day.]]	103 acre	9.4 m	735 acre
Loring Lake	[[File:Minnéapolis 02 august 2016.jpg	125px	alt=Numerous tall buildings are visible across a small lake full of duckweed. Ducks stand among the low reeds and aquatic grasses.]]	8 acre	5.3 m	24 acre
Bde Maka Ska	[[File:Bde Maka Ska.jpg	125px	alt=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 acre	27.4 m	2992 acre	url=http://www.startribune.com/the-state-dnr-approve-changing-lake-calhoun-to-bde-maka-ska/469990923/	title=The state officially changes Lake Calhoun to Bde Maka Ska	last1=Chanen	first1=David	date=January 18, 2018	work=Star Tribune	access-date=January 29, 2018	archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180125021401/http://www.startribune.com/the-state-dnr-approve-changing-lake-calhoun-to-bde-maka-ska/469990923/	archive-date=January 25, 2018}}
Lake Nokomis	[[File:Lake Nokomis from shoreline with rolling clouds.jpg	125px	alt=Gray storm clouds roll over green trees and plants that rim a choppy gray lake]]	204 acre	10.1 m	869 acre
Powderhorn Lake	[[File:Powderhorn Lake, Minneapolis.jpg	125px	alt=Willows sit atop a small island in the center of a small, frozen, snow-covered lake surrounded by parkland and residences.]]	11 acre	6.1 m	286 acre	title=Powderhorn (27001400)	url=https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/lakefind/lake.html?id=27001400	website=Minnesota Department of Natural Resources	access-date=14 May 2024}}
Ryan Lake	[[File:Ryan Lake, June 2016.jpg	125px	alt=A dock that widens at the end extends out into a choppy lake on a cloudy day.]]	18 acre	10.7 m	5510 acre

Other bodies of water

Some sources, including the City of Minneapolis's own geographic information system (GIS) dataset, list up to 22 lakes within the city. The dataset lists three lakes that are not within the city's borders:

Mother Lake (48 acre)
Wirth Lake (39 acre)
Taft Lake (14 acre) The list includes some bodies of water smaller than five acres:
Birch Lake (3.2 acre)
Spring Lake (2.3 acre)
Lake Mead (1.8 acre)
Legion Lake (0.5 acre) The Minneapolis GIS dataset includes two of the channels between larger bodies of water as "lakes":
Cedar–Isles Channel (5.4 acre)
Maka Ska–Isles Channel (3.4 acre) Additionally, there are 46 ponds in Minneapolis.

Former lakes

Sandy Lake once existed in the Columbia Park neighborhood, however was destroyed in 1925 and replaced with the Columbia Golf Club.

Pearl Lake once existed in the Page neighborhood, and has since been filled in and replaced by Pearl Park.

Richrield Mill Pond was a man-made lake along Minnehaha Creek directly south of Lake Harriet in what is now Lynnhurst. In 1892, it was destroyed along with the mill responsible for its creation to make way for housing.

Blaisdell Lake once existed west of Lake of the Isles, and was filled in to make way for Lyndale Avenue in 1890.

Silver Lake was destroyed after it was sold off by property developers in 1889.

Notes

References

(May 1996). "The Monitoring of Ecological Quality and the Classification of Standing Waters in Temperate Regions: a Review and Proposal Based on a Worked Scheme for British Waters". [[Biological Reviews]].
(July 19, 2019). "Minnesota and Wisconsin Are Beefing About Who Has More Lakes". [[Smithsonian (magazine).
(April 2016). "Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board 2014 Water Resources Report". Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
(September 2003). "Ryan Lake Trail Concept Plan". University of Minnesota.
(June 30, 2008). "Street Map". City of Minneapolis.
(2011). "Archean to Anthropocene: Field Guides to the Geology of the Mid-Continent of North America". The Geological Society of America.
(1976). "Hydrology of lakes in the Minneapolis-Saint Paul Metropolitan Area: A summary of available data". [[U.S. Geological Survey]], Water Resources Division.
(2012). "Bde Maka Ska / Lake Calhoun, Minneapolis". Minnesota Historical Society Press.
(2009). "AIA Guide to the Minneapolis Lake District". Minnesota Historical Society Press.
(1993). "Minneapolis–St. Paul: People, Place, and Public Life". University of Minnesota Press.
(March 18, 2015). "Revealed: The story behind Minneapolis' sailboat logo". [[Star Tribune]].
(2002–2003). "Minneapolis, Minnesota". Raven: A Journal of Vexillology.
(2003). "Minnesota Family Weekends". Trails Books.
(2016). "Moon Minneapolis & St. Paul". Avalon Travel.
(2004). "The Lake District of Minneapolis: A History of the Calhoun–Isles Community". University of Minnesota Press.
(March 1956). "The Fort Snelling Area in 1835: A Contemporary Map". [[Minnesota History (journal).
(June 17, 2012). "Water". City of Minneapolis.
(February 18, 2016). "T. S. Roberts Bird Sanctuary Improvements Project". Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
(1992). "Haven in the Heart of the City: The History of Lakewood Cemetery". Lakewood Cemetery.
(November 7, 2017). "The future of Hiawatha Golf Course". Southside Pride.
(January 18, 2018). "The state officially changes Lake Calhoun to Bde Maka Ska". [[Star Tribune]].
"Powderhorn (27001400)".
(2001). "Tastes of Minnesota: A Food Lover's Tour". Trails Books.
(2014). "The World's Best Cities: Celebrating 220 Great Destinations". National Geographic Society.
(May–June 2001). "Minneapolis: A City That Works".
(2007). "AIA Guide to the Twin Cities: The Essential Source on the Architecture of Minneapolis and St. Paul". Minnesota Historical Society Press.
(2008). "City of Parks: The Story of Minneapolis Parks". The Foundation for Minneapolis Parks.
Rainville Jr., Michael. (December 1, 2022). "Columbia Park: 129 Years of History". Mill City Times.
(1898). "St. Paul, Minneapolis and Environs (with insets of the Business Districts of St. Paul and Minneapolis)". Rand McNally.
Biber, Josh. "The Lost Lakes of Minneapolis".

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