Lake of the Woods

Lake of the Woods is a 950,000 acre lake located on the border of Minnesota and Canada. It is Minnesota’s second largest lake, just after Lake Superior.  Lake of the Woods is estimated to have over 14,000 islands and 25,000 miles of shoreline, and one of the 100 largest lakes in the world. This region was once part of a mountain range which eroded due to glacier activity around 800 million years ago. More recently, this region was part of Lake Agassiz- a Pleistocene era lake that formed nearly 12,000 years ago from the melting of the Laurentide Ice Sheet. Covering parts of Manitoba, Ontario, Saskatchewan, North Dakota, and Minnesota, Lake Agassiz was larger than all of the Great Lakes combined. This lake drained into Hudson Bay approximately 10,000 years ago, but left behind remnants such as Lake of the Woods and Lake Winnipeg. The Lake of the Woods area has been inhabited for thousands of years, with artifacts dating back to 6,000 BC. The Ojibwe people lived in this area in the 18th century until european fur traders settled the area. Today, there are over 25 first nations, including the Anishinaabe people, of the Lake of the Woods region who have and are currently working towards reclaiming the area. This lake is very popular for fishers due to the abundance of walleye, pike, muskie, sauger, sturgeon, and many other species. We will spend approximately one week traveling through this area. 

We acknowledge that Lake of the Woods exists on the ancestral lands of the Anishinaabe people.