Lake Minnetonka

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Lake Minnetonka
Lake Minnetonka Show map of Minnesota Lake Minnetonka Show map of the United States
Map
Location	Hennepin and Carver counties, Minnesota, United States
Coordinates	44°56′00″N 93°34′00″W / 44.93333°N 93.56667°W / 44.93333; -93.56667
Primary inflows	Six Mile Creek
Primary outflows	Minnehaha Creek
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	14,528 acres (5,879 hectares)
Max. depth	113 ft (34 m)
Shore length1	125 mi (200 km)
Surface elevation	929 ft (283 m)
Islands	Big Island Crane Island
Settlements	Deephaven Excelsior Greenwood Minnetonka Minnetonka Beach Minnetrista Mound Orono Shorewood Spring Park Tonka Bay Victoria Wayzata Woodland
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Lake Minnetonka (Dakota: Mní iá Tháŋka^[1]) is a lake located about 16 miles (26 km) west-southwest of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Lake Minnetonka has about 23 named bays and areas.^[2] 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.

Lake Minnetonka was formed around 10,000 years ago during the retreat of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. The lake consists of interconnected kettle lakes, channels, and marshlands, along with 18 islands, giving it an irregular shape and 125 miles (201 km) of shoreline. Human habitation in the area dates back approximately 10,000 years, beginning with ancestral Indigenous peoples. Between 3500 BCE and 1500 CE, the Mound Builders era flourished; in the 1880s, 524 burial mounds and earthworks along the lakeshore were mapped and estimated to date from 300 BCE to 100 CE. By the 1700s, the Dakota people inhabited the area, utilizing the lake for hunting, fishing, harvesting wild rice, and setting up maple sugar camps. The lake holds cultural and spiritual significance for the Dakota people, with sacred sites such as Spirit Knob playing an important role in their traditions and beliefs. Following the Dakota War of 1862, the Dakota people were forcibly removed from the region.

European American settlement began in the 1850s, and with the advent of streetcars, trains, and steamboats, Lake Minnetonka became a nationally recognized vacation destination. Attractions like Big Island Park (1906) and the Excelsior Amusement Park (1925) contributed to its popularity. However, as resort areas developed in other parts of the country, Lake Minnetonka's national prominence as a vacation hotspot declined. It is a popular spot for local boaters, sailors, and fishermen.^[3]