Mille Lacs Lake
Also known as: Lake Mille Lacs
Locations
Mille Lacs Lake: Description
Mille Lacs Lake, the "Walleye Capital of the World", is located in central Minnesota about 200 miles due north of Minneapolis, near Garrison. It is Minnesota's second largest inland lake. At 132,000 acres (just over 200 square miles), Mille Lacs Lake is a big, round, fairly shallow (max. depth: 42 feet) lake that can churn up whitecaps in a hurry, providing big-water adventure for those who seek it.
A variety of bottom conditions, including mud, rock and gravel and sandy flats, and an absence of thermo cline mean the fish can travel the entire lake year round. Mille Lacs Lake's typical depth is 20-38 feet. It freezes completely in winter, with an ice cover that's 2-4 feet thick.
Mille Lacs Lake is a top fishing destination for those in search of muskie, walleye, northern pike, smallmouth bass and tullibee - from boats in the summer and from ice fishing shacks beginning Christmas week through spring thaw.
Aside from fishing, popular lake activities include swimming, boating, canoeing, sailing, trail-based biking and hiking, and snowmobiling. Mille Lacs Kathio State Park is located on the lake's southwestern shore, and boasts a swimming beach plus extensive trails for snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling.
The origin of the name "Mille Lacs Lake" is French for "Region of a Thousand Lakes".
Mille Lacs Lake: Statistics
- Type: Natural Freshwater Lake, Not Dammed
- Area: 132,516 acres
- Shoreline length: 75 miles
- Normal elevation: 1,251 feet
- Maximum depth: 42 feet
- Population: 22,000
