A word about Minnesota lakes

The state’s slogan, “Land of 10,000 Lakes,” came from a speech by a professor at the Minnesota State Fair in 1874. The unofficial slogan and the phrase on the license plates started in the 1920s. By the official designation that a lake must be 10 acres or more, there are 11,842 lakes. However, by other definitions, there are 14,380 lakes. But I saw another count that claims 17,246!

Wisconsin claims to have more lakes than Minnesota, but they don’t have a size definition. Using that criterion, Minnesota has over 20,000 lakes. (By the way, 10 acres equals about 9 American Football fields.)

By the way, the DNR (Department of Natural Resources) built a database of every body of water in Minnesota. That includes everything that is not seasonal water, including rivers. There are 117,000!

Let’s get into the 100+ Reasons to Love Minnesota!

One of the truly great of the 100+ reasons to love Minnesota is the North Shore area of Minnesota near Lake Superior. While this article will include pictures, here’s a link to more information about that area. For many, however, it’s fishing and other water recreation. There are about a dozen or more “lake communities” here in the state. More on that is below.

Minnesota TOC

Areas of the state

North Shore of Lake Superior area – Many of the 100+ Reasons to Love Minnesota!

In my opinion, the North Shore continues to be the best part of the state for tourism. There are many of the 100+ Reasons to Love Minnesota here on “The Shore!” Here’s a link to the post specifically about the North Shore. But here’s a picture from the shore.

Above on the left is Pigeon Falls, the tallest waterfall in Minnesota at 120 feet. The left half lies in the US, while the right half crosses into Canada. On the right side above is the Lift Bridge in Duluth. I’ll have a picture or three in the North Shore post showing ships leaving with the bridge up as it is in this picture.

So, just letting you know, I’m just providing a brief summary of the post linked below. While you may want to skip around to learn more about the North Shore, click or tap on the link.

Here’s the link to the post about the North Shore.

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Northern and Northwestern area

While the source of the Mississippi River lies in this area, fishing, water recreation, and hunting are likely more important to many Minnesotans. Here’s the link directly to “Where the Mississippi River Starts.”

By the way, to the left is a picture of Lake Bemidji with a full moon and a light cloud cover over the moon.

However, if you are sightseeing in Minnesota, more attractions appear. For example, the northernmost point in the Lower 48. And the International Wolf Center in Ely. Of course, International Falls, “the nation’s icebox,” lies on the Canadian border. Voyagers National Park, the National Park with the highest percentage of water, lies just southeast of Internation Falls.

But, if you like wilderness and roughing it, the Boundary Waters Canoe area is yours as well. The post (link will be here) will include more about these attractions and much more.

Did you know that a surveying error left 144 acres of old-growth Red and White Pine? Today, it’s called the Lost 40 within Itasca County and in the Chippewa National Forest. But, true to its name, 40 acres remain. It’s another place to visit for those inclined to see old-growth forests and nature at its finest.

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West Central area – More of 100+ Reasons to Love Minnesota!

(Writers note: I grew up in this area. In fact, I grew up in Ottertail County, which has more lakes than any other county in the Lower 48.) I’ll have a link to the post here. But here’s a link to a post about the Otter Trail Scenic Byway. The lake above is Pelican Lake, one of the most popular in Minnesota due to its size and great fishing, as well as beaches around much of the lake. Many people from around the state has summer homes here.

And visit Alexandria to see the Kensington Runestone and related museum in Alexandria, MN. That’s to the south, in Douglas County. Both Pelican Rapids and Alexandria are lake communities. You’ll see more about them in the dedicated section about West Central, MN.

The western edge of west-central MN becomes natural prairie land. The prairie in this area is nearly treeless and very flat. As you move west of the main part of west-central, you’ll run into the Red River Valley. That’s officially the Red River of the North and became the main river of the watershed to Hudson Bay in Canada.

Along the river, glacial Lake Agassiz slowly moved north and melted to form the very flat land on the western edge of Minnesota. The Red River’s source flows from the Bois-De-Sioux river from Lake Traverse, mentioned in the lake community section of 100+ Reasons to Love Minnesota! In the maps below about state parks, you’ll see where the terrain turns into the prairie.

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East Central Minnesota

Of course, this section borders Wisconsin and “hosts” Interstate 35, which terminates in Duluth. You can drive from Duluth to Laredo, TX, just short of the Mexican border. Without hitting a stop light! Again, there are lakes and state parks in the area.

I’ll also write about the Great Hinckley Fire of 1894. Of course, you can visit the museum. And the fires of 1918, which were more deadly.

But, I can’t write about Hinckley without mentioning Tobie’s Restaurant & Bakery, a favorite stopping point for Twin Citians on their way to the North Shore.

Another historic place is the Charles A. Lindberg house and state park in Little Falls, MN. I’ll include information on each of the state parks.

Five lake communities fall within this part of MN. They are Brainerd, Cross Lake, Nisswa, Isle (Lake Mille Lacs), and Forest Lake. You could claim Forest Lake as part of the Twin Cities, but it’s just far enough north to fit here.

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Southwestern area

Southwestern Minnesota contains fewer lakes than the rest of the state. In fact, two of the counties don’t have any natural lakes. Of course, there are state parks and other attractions. More of that coming in the post about southwestern MN.

On the left is one picture from the Pipestone National Monument. The monument stands in the state’s southwestern corner, near the intersection with South Dakota and Iowa.

Southwestern Minnesota plays home to a historic place called the Jeffers Petroglyphs in Comfrey. These could go back thousands of years!

Again, more in the post (link coming here.)

By the way, the west-central post discusses the natural prairie land on the Minnesota border. In this section, the prairie widens out the east, where much of this section is natural prairie. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything to see here!

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Southeastern area

Here’s my first post about southeastern MN. And here’s a second post from southeastern MN about Lake City and Lake Pepin. I’ll have more coming soon.

The two posts linked in the previous paragraph are the start of Southeastern MN. Others are coming soon. Lake Pepin is a natural lake formed when the Wisconsin River dumps soil and silt into the Mississippi River, causing water buildup.

Basically, this widening of the Mississippi creates a lake running for 21 miles and makes 2.5 miles at its widest point. (It’s also the widest point on the Mississippi River!) Interestingly, the invention of water skiing occurred on this lake in 1922! Of course, more about this and other places in the post (that will be linked from here).

The largest city in this part of the state is Rochester, home of the world-renown Mayo Clinic and Mayo Health System. Mayo’s presence makes Rochester a unique city for its size. The metropolitan area is about 225,000.

A quirky attraction in southeastern MN is the Spam Museum in Austin. It’s the headquarters for Hormel, the maker of Spam. By the way, the other two Minnesota counties that don’t contain a lake are in the state’s southeastern part.

Jesse James Days in Northfield includes a reenactment of the brothers’ attempted robbery of the First National Bank in Northfield, where several gang members were captured or killed. Again, the post about the area includes more detail and more attractions. Here (will be) the link.)

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Twin Cities – Many more of 100+ Reasons to Love Minnesota!

By the way, when you visit Minnesota, you will often hear people talk about “The Cities,” meaning the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Some will say Minneapolis, and some St. Paul; others call them the Twin Cities. But just “The Cities” is the most popular name, especially out-state. Oh, and if you travel a lot, you might call it MSP, which is the airport designation derived from Minneapolis/St. Paul.

I called the blog post “Everything Twin Cities,” so I’m likely to “never” be able to stop updating it! Over time, I’ll add more. I’m really busy completing other posts now! I do own a book called “Secret Twin Cities: A guide to the weird, wonderful, and obscure” by Julie Jo Severson. She’s a native of Minnesota and lives in a Minneapolis suburb. Here’s a link to her site about her books. And here’s more about her. I’ve visited several places in the book and plan to visit more.

Live theater, museums & sports

Among other great attractions, Minneapolis claims to have more live theaters than any city but New York. I don’t know if that’s still true but… The best and most well-known is the Guthrie, which opened in the 1960s and moved to a great new building in the 1990s.

Besides that, we have museums, parks, entertainment, higher education, and both college and major league sports. Another key point, we have two Division I athletic programs (U of Minnesota and St. Thomas) and six major league sports. (Twins in MLB, Vikings in NFL, Timberwolves in NBA, Linx in WNBA, Wild in NHL, and Minnesota United in soccer-MLS.)

See, we do have much more than the Mall of America!

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Special Interest areas

State Parks

Here’s a link to the official Minnesota State Park site. There are 67 State Parks and nine State Recreation areas in the state. The post for each area of the state provides information about the state parks in the area. I will (eventually) have at least one picture from every state park.

National Parks, Forests, and other attractions

• Voyageurs National Park lies near International Falls and borders Canada. Part of Quetico Provincial Park lies nearby. This park appears in the North and Northwestern MN post. Here’s a link to a post that contains Voyageurs National Park.
• Boundary Waters Canoe area appears in the North and Northwestern post as well.
• Superior National Forest appears in the North Shore post. It borders the Boundary Waters Canoe Area and the Quetico Provincial park in Canada.
• Grand Portage National Monument appears in the North Shore post.
• Mississippi National River & Recreation area runs through the Twin Cities metropolitan area. Unlike other National Park locations, this park consists of regional parks, national parks, and private land meant for riverfront recreation. Of course, the Great River Road runs through the area as well. While this blog contains Great Road posts and other links to it, here’s another in case you want to see that again.
• Pipestone National Monument appears in the Southwestern Minnesota post. The area is considered sacred to many native Americans who have carried on the tradition of quarrying and pipe-making for generations. The belief is that the smoke from the pipe carries one’s prayer to the Great Spirit.
• Saint Croix National Scenic Riverway appears in the Twin Cities area and East Central Minnesota. The river runs along the Minnesota and Wisconsin border after flowing out of Wisconsin.

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Well-known Minnesota lake areas – More of the 100+ Reasons to Love Minnesota

Largest Lakes and “water stuff!”

The largest lake entirely within Minnesota is Red Lake in the northern section. It covers 288,800 acres. It’s also considered one of the best fishing lakes in Minnesota.

The most popular lake is Lake Minnetonka. It’s the 9th largest lake entirely within the boundaries of Minnesota. There are several reasons for its popularity; first, it’s a great fishing lake, but the main reason is it’s less than 15 miles from downtown Minneapolis with the western suburbs close by and some surrounding the lake. (Writers note: I live eight miles from the lake!)

After Red Lake, the other five largest are: Mille Lacs Lake (132,516 acres), Leech Lake (111,527 acres), Lake Winnibigoshish (58.544 acres,) and Lake Vermillion (40,557 acres.) I’ll cover more on each lake in the section it calls home.

Additionally, Minnesota boasts over 92,000 miles of river. Interestingly, it contains the headwater for three major North American river systems. Of course, the Mississippi and then the Red River of the North, which flows on the Minnesota/North Dakota border and empties into Hudson Bay in Canada.

However, the third one may be a stretch as the St. Lawrence river system flows out of the eastern end of the Great Lakes. Actually, using the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes, ocean-going ships can reach Duluth Harbor. And Chicago on Lake Michigan.

Minnesota Map Showing Lake Communities

Lake Communities

Here’s a listing of Minnesota’s most well-known “lake towns”. Many of them provide fall and winter recreation as well. Fall brings hunting and fall leaf color viewing. Winter brings snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, and ice fishing. Although a few are only near one major lake (like Duluth), many are in the heart of a group of lakes. By the way, I made the interactive map collaborative so you can add places to it. Therefore, the map may have places not listed below. And here’s the list:

North Shore Towns

• Duluth lies at the westernmost point of the Great Lakes. Although. Duluth is by far the largest; all towns along the North Shore qualify as “Lake Communities.” While some have smaller lakes nearby as well, Lake Superior makes them a lake town. Of course, it does! Other communities are Two Harbors, Beaver Bay, Silver Bay, Hovland, Tofte, Lutsen, Little Marais, and Grand Marais
• Link to North Shore for more lake information

Northern Lake Communities

• Bemidji lies on the shore of Lake Bemidji, a Mississippi River lake. Meaning the Mississippi River flows through this lake. It’s near the Mississippi source and other lakes and state parks. However, more information about this area appears in the Northern MN section.
• Walker also appears in the Northern section. Although many lakes are nearby, Walker primarily “supports” Leech Lake. But it’s the third largest lake entirely within Minnesota.

• Grand Rapids becomes another river town as well as a lake town. Because it’s located on the Mississippi River, many of the lakes are accessible by boat from the city. However, the tourist bureau claims 1,000 lakes within the area.
• Upcoming link to the Northern MN post

And there are more!

• International Falls boasts a population of just under 6,000. However, the city is known as “The Nations Icebox” due to its far northern location and prevailing weather patterns. The main bodies of water here are the Rainy River and Rainy Lake. Furthermore, true to its name, the town is located on the international border and is a “twin town” with Fort Francis, ON, Canada. But Voyagers National Park lies 40 miles away, and much of the park is lakes and islands. Here’s a link to a post about a visit to the area.
• Warroad is another of the “one lake towns” due to its location on Lake of the Woods. However, about half of the lake lies in Canada. It’s the 6th largest lake located at least partially in the US, after the five Great Lakes.
• Boundary Waters Canoe Area isn’t a town, although Ely, MN, is the largest one on the edge of the BWCA. However, Ely and the Gunflint Trail provide access to over 1 million acres. The BWCA allows no motorized vehicles or boats. Most importantly, the area contains hundreds of lakes, mostly connected by streams and rivers. Others are accessible by portages. While the area includes no signs, the maps are very good. You will need a permit to enter the area. Since permits are on a quota system, making reservations is best. Unquestionably, the BWCA provides visitors with a unique area meant for serious canoers!

West Central Minnesota

• Detroit Lakes appears in the West Central section. Detroit Lakes serves as the county seat of Becker County, which contains over 700 lakes, and lies just north of Ottertail County, which contains over 1,000 lakes!

• Pelican Rapids, again, appears in the West Central section. It’s in the heart of Ottertail County with its over 1,000 lakes and near several popular state parks. While the city population is only about 2,500 people, many of the lakes have year-round homes adding to the population.
• Alexandria also appears in the West Central section. While there aren’t as many lakes, there are some large lakes nearby. And there are still several hundred lakes nearly. The city population of nearly 15,000, and the fact that it’s the fastest-growing western Minnesota city provides shopping, dining, and entertainment options.
• Upcoming link to West Central lakes

Need a break from reading?

• Battle Lake (the city) lies on the western shore of West Battle Lake (the lake.) East Battle Lake, Clitherall Lake, First Silver Lake, and North and South Turtle Lakes are larger lakes in the area.
• Browns Valley remains unique in that it is the largest town near two large lakes. Lake Traverse forms the beginning of the Hudson Bay watershed along the border between Minnesota and South Dakota. A continental divide separates Lake Traverse from Big Stone Lake, out of which flows the Minnesota River and joins the Mississippi in the Twin Cities area. They are natural lakes, although both have dams to control flooding on both rivers. As you would expect, they are both long, narrow lakes. Lake Traverse runs for 16 miles and reaches a maximum width of two miles. On the other hand, Big Stone is longer (26 miles) but narrower, reaching a maximum width of one mile.

East Central Minnesota

• Brainerd Lakes, consisting of Brainerd, Baxter, and several smaller towns, make up the most populated area. The area contains many nearby popular lakes and several well-known resorts. More information about the area appears in the East Central Minnesota section.
• Nisswa could be considered part of Brainerd Lakes, but it does have its own lakes nearby and is clearly a “lake town.”
• Cross Lake appears in the East Central part of Minnesota. The town anchors the Whitefish Chain of Lakes. There are 14 interconnected lakes that offer great fishing. This area remains better known for fishing than other areas.
• Isle becomes another “one lake town” as it’s the closest town to Lake Mille Lacs. That lake is the second largest lake entirely within Minnesota. It’s a great fishing lake and summer home for many. Since it’s about 100 miles from the Twin Cities, it’s one of the more popular lakes outside of the metro area.
• Forest Lake lies close to the Twin Cities, but I’m calling it an East Central area lake. The town provides a home to about 20,000 people. Of note, Bud Grant, legendary Minnesota Viking coach, lived in Forest Lake for a time in the 1950s.
• Upcoming link to eastern central lake communities

Twin Cities area

• Wayzata-Minnetrista-Excelsior-Mound-Orono, all of them call Lake Minnetonka home. As well as several smaller towns. They provide dining, drinking, and shopping around Minnesota’s most popular lake. They are all within 20 miles of downtown Minneapolis. Which is the main reason they are popular. When there is a large lake with great fishing, boating, sailing, and water skiing activities within a major metropolitan area, it’s got to be popular!
• Waconia stands next to Lake Waconia in the far west part of the Twin Cities metro area. You will find eating places, docks, and bars along the lake frontage. More on that in the Twin Cities post.
• Minneapolis has 12 lakes that cover at least 10 acres, five of which are on the Chain of Lakes. These five are connected by a channel and are near each other. Lake Bde Maka Ska (formerly known as Calhoun) is the largest. The others are Brownie, Cedar, Harriet, and Lake of the Isles.
• Here’s another link to Everything Twin Cities and eventual information about the lakes.

Southeastern Minnesota

• Lake City, the largest city on Lake Pepin, became a magnet for visitors as early as the late 1800s. Lake Pepin claims the “invention” of water skiing! However, it’s beautiful, and I’ll tell more about it in the post for this area of the state. (By the way, Lake Pepin is a widening of the Mississippi River, but it’s considered a lake due to a natural dam occurring at the south end of the lake. It’s 22 miles long and reaches 2.2 miles wide at its widest point.
• Link to the southeastern area here soon.

Southwestern Minnesota

• Albert Lea is southern Minnesota’s lake country. Albert Lea Lake claims major status for the area but there are others along a chain of lakes connected by the Shell Rock River watershed of southern Minnesota.
• Willmar stands near the western edge of the proliferation of lakes in Minnesota. While there are lakes south and west of here, they are typically smaller and less popular.
• And a link to the south-western area

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Larger-than-life statues, including Paul Bunyan

I’m sure many states love their larger-than-life roadside creations. We have our share. For example, Paul Bunyan statues abound, with nearly a dozen (or more) statues of Paul, Babe the Blue Ox, Lucette, his girlfriend, and more. Not to mention the Paul Bunyan log chute ride at the Mall of America!

Minnesota has other large replicas in other places in the state. You will see more in the individual posts. For example, Pelican Rapids started it in the 1950s with Pelican Pete, Fergus Falls owns a larger Otter, Vergus has the world’s largest loon, Frazee boasts the world’s largest turkey, and Rothsay has a prairie chicken.

Then we have the inanimate large objects like the large ball of twine in Darwin, MN. That’s in the southwestern part of the state.

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Special posts about Minnesota – More of the 100+ Reasons to Love Minnesota

Great Minnesota Get-Together: The Minnesota State Fair ranks as the best state fair in the US by many rankings. Some rank Texas’ state fair higher, but that’s Texas! Here’s the link to my post about the fair.

See this one about the Otter Trail Scenic Byway. It’s in Ottertail County, home to more lakes than any other county in the Lower 48! Over 1,000 lakes “live” here! This scenic drive provides nearly 20 of the 100+ reasons to love Minnesota!

This post “talks about” visiting places along a trip I often take to visit family members. More favorite places in Minnesota. And an inspiration for you to look at places along your route you often drive!

Here’s a post from the start of a Great River Road trip. Although the title says Bismarck to the Great River Road, this particular post is about places in Minnesota that you find along a well-travel path but don’t typically see!

Every year since 1971, Mid-America Festivals holds the Minnesota Renaissance Festival. For seven weeks from mid-August to the end of September, every weekend, Renaissance England comes to life south of the Twin Cities. If you visit Minnesota during this time, it’s a great place to spend a day. Be prepared for crowds!

And here’s another post for those who “remember” COVID! An idea for “social distancing!!”

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Minnesota Winter activities

Since Minnesota gets cold in the winter, we find ways to celebrate winter! (Or else we’d go off the deep end!) Of course, I’m sure you’ve heard our state called “Minnesnowta!” Here are a few winter events:

St. Paul Winter Carnival

This year’s event happens from January 26th through February 5th. I haven’t written a post about it, but here’s the link to the 2023 event. The highlight may be the massive ice castles created every year. Or some years, it’s too warm! And sometimes it’s too cold to go see them! However, it’s likelier to be too cold than too warm. This one happens for most of the month of January. In 2018 and back in 1992, the Ice Palace remained standing for part of the Super Bowl activities.

Art Shanty Projects

This event puts art together with an outdoor event on a frozen lake. The most recent years saw Lake Harriett in Minneapolis hosts the event. Here’s a link to a post I created in February 2020. The festival moved to several different lakes over the years. The event didn’t happen in 2018 due to some financial problems and in 2021 due to COVID. However, it’s back and in full swing. But in 2023, the event moved to a nearby park due to the quality of the ice. In other words, Minnesota was too warm that January! Here’s a link to the event.

Lutsen Mountains

While these aren’t tall mountains, they offer fantastic skiing and other winter activities along Lake Superior. Obviously, the skiing doesn’t stand up to the Rocky Mountain skiing, but they provide many people with popular weekend getaways. While it is about 250 miles from the Twin Cities, it still attracts many people from “The Cities” to drive up there for long weekends. Here’s a link to one of the resorts “up there.”

Home and Garden show

Every year in late February, the Minneapolis Convention Center hosts the home and garden show. This show provides examples of sustainable living and design, “upcycled” furniture, cooking demonstrations, and indoor gardens to get you in the mood for planting season. Here’s a link to the event.

Ely Winter Festival

Northern Minnesota has Ely, one of the most beloved winter events. The event features ice fishing, snowshoeing, and even a beard contest. The most notable attraction remains the intricately carved ice sculptures. They take over the center of town during the festival. Here’s a link to the festival’s website. The festival for this year ended a few days ago. It’s typically held in early to mid-February.

International Falls Icebox Days

True to its slogan, International Falls holds the Icebox Days festival in January every year. You can participate in various races, fireworks, and moonlight skiing. You can even do some frozen turkey bowling. You’ll have to visit the website to find out about that! Of course, if you are a runner, you’ll definitely want to run in the Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run!

Grumpy Old Men Festival

Did you know that the Grumpy Old Men movie was filmed in Wabasha, MN? Festival dates vary from year to year, so check the website. Events like an ice fishing contest, a poker tournament, a hot dish luncheon (casserole if you aren’t from the midwest!), and others. However, the most interesting is the Grumpy Plunge. Contests dress up as Grumpy Old Men characters and plunge into icy cold water!

Many cities of all sizes have winter festivals!

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Summarizing why there are 100+ Reasons to Love Minnesota!

Of course, you should visit Minnesota! But spend some time getting to know that state and the people. We are known for “Minnesota Nice,” which may not always be true, but many of us attempt to live up to that moniker.

I believe this post series shows you many different options when visiting here. Of course, if you want to “brave” the winter, we do have many winter activities (see above) as well as more summer-related activities.

Need more reasons to visit Minnesota? Send me a note here. And if you really like this series, you can Buy me a coffee! Or Not!!

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Classic Rock Recollection

“The Girl of the North Country” by Bob Dylan

Well, if you’re travelin’ in the north country fair,
Where the winds hit heavy on the borderline,
Remember me to the one who lives there.
She once was a true love of mine.

Well, if you go when the snowflakes storm,
When the rivers freeze and summer ends…

Lyrics by Bob Dylan (As most of you know, he grew up in Hibbing, MN.)

#100reasonsloveminnesota #Loveminnesota #visitminnesota #thedrivebytourist