Lake located approximately 15 miles west-southwest of Minneapolis is a collection of 16 interconnecting lakes with about 23 named bays and areas and is Minnesota's ninth largest lake and is popular among boaters, sailors, and fishermen

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Overview

Lake Minnetonka (Dakota: Mní iá Tháŋka) is a lake located approximately 15 miles (24 km) west-southwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Today Lake Minnetonka is a collection of 16 interconnecting lakes with about 23 named bays and areas. The lake lies within Hennepin and Carver counties and is surrounded by 13 incorporated municipalities. At 14,528 acres (5,879 ha), it is Minnesota's ninth largest lake and is popular among boaters, sailors, and fishermen.

Geography

Lake Minnetonka was formed approximately 10,000 years ago as the Laurentide Ice Sheet receded northward. The lake is a collection of kettle lakes connected by channels and marshlands which, along with 18 islands, form its irregular shape and 125 miles (201 km) of shoreline. Lake Minnetonka is divided into two halves, the Upper Lake in the west and the Lower Lake in the east, which reflect the easterly flow of water in the lake's watershed. The deepest point of Lake Minnetonka is 113 feet (34 m) in Crystal Bay. The average depth of the lake is approximately 30 feet (9 m).

Lake Minnetonka contains black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin, common carp, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and yellow perch.

Lake Minnetonka is home to several regional parks owned by Three Rivers Park District. The largest among these are Lake Minnetonka Regional Park in Minnetrista and Noerenberg Gardens in Orono. Three Rivers Park District also maintains two regional bike trails near the lake. Two other large public parks on Lake Minnetonka include Big Island Nature Park and the Excelsior Commons.

Boating, sailing, and fishing are the most common activities on Lake Minnetonka.

Other activities on Lake Minnetonka include swimming, kayaking, and standup paddleboarding during the summer, and ice fishing, snowmobiling, and ice yachting during the winter.

This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Lake Minnetonka", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0