About the Waterways
Table of Contents
This page is in development. More lakes and waterways will be added over time.
Cleary Lake
Cleary Lake is part of the Three Rivers Parks District and is completely within Cleary Lake Park Reserve. The lake has numerous bays and inlets offering many opportunities for exploring, but many of the bays are covered with duckweed by mid summer.
The photo above is at the mouth of a small creek entering the lake. It is possible to go upstream almost to Credit River Road, but it requires working around or climbing over fallen logs.
Paddling among the weeds and lily pads is extra work, but it offers an intimate view of plants and insects.
Lake Phalen Chain of Lakes
Explore this chain of urban lakes one lake at a time or all six at once.
Lake Phalen is a popular kayaking and paddleboard lake. Most boaters stay on the main lake, but adventurous paddlers can take on the channel to Round Lake. The reward is an intimate channel with views of the lake Phalen Pagoda. Beware, however, that the channel and most of Round Lake are weed choked and nearly impassable from early summer to late fall.
Follow the channel to Kelleher Lake, then cross under Hwy 36 to Spoon Lake and continue north into Lake Gervais and the remote Kohlman Lake
Minnesota River
The Minnesota River is a mixed blessing for Twin Cities paddlers. It’s frequently muddy and always polluted, but it has highlights. The riverbanks are often wooded and scenic. Wildlife, including bald eagles, fox, coyote, river otters and beavers frequent the banks and barge traffic, on the lower river, is fascinating to watch- from a distance.
Exploring feeder creeks is a great way to get off the river and into its more remote bottom lands. Deadfalls are never cleared from the feeder creeks. The adventurous will climb over them. Others simply turn around and float back down to the river.
The Minnesota River starts at the Minnesota/South Dakota border and travels 350 miles to the Mississippi River. The metro part of the river begins at Louisville Swamp.
Mississippi River
Spring Lake
Spring Lake is part of the pool behind Lock and Dam #2 in Hastings. Most of the lake is shallow, except for the 8 foot deep shipping channel near Grey Cloud Island.
The shallow waters are rich in plant life, including some unusual plants such as the corn in the crib above. Apparently the corn slipped off barges and found a suitable growing environment.
Traditional plants, such as lily pads and duckweed are abundant, as are some unusual plants such as the Giant Bur Reed, below. In 2020, it’s more likely to be called the Coronavirus plant.
Wildlife is abundant, with Pelicans, Cormorants, Great Blue Herons, Egrets and Bald Eagles commonly sighted. Carp, above, become especially visible during mating season. Tails and back fins break the water regularly. During a recent outing we were startled frequently by carp splashing near our kayaks or bumping into the bottoms of our boats.
Murphy Lake
Murphy Lake, in Murphy Hanrehan Park Reserve, is s small lake with a lot of character. The beaver dam in this photo is one of two dams that run parallel to each other less than 100 feet apart. This is the older dam, with a plank walk across it that connects hiking trails on either side of the channel.
The lake also has a large beaver lodge and multiple small bays to explore.
If you are willing to portage your boat a short distance, you can access the upper lake for additional exploration.
Parley Lake
Parley Lake, near Waconia, touches the western edge of Carver Park Reserve. The north and south ends of the lake are rich in cattail marshes and lily pads. This photo was taken in the channel between Parley Lake and Mud Lake.
At one time it was possible to paddle Six Mile Creek out of the south end of Parley Lake into Lake Lutsen in Carver Park Reserve or paddle east from the north end of Mud Lake into Halsted Bay on Lake Minnetonka, but the channels are now clogged with cattails. Parley and Mud Lakes are still a joy to paddle.
Pelican Lake
As its name implies, Pelican Lake has a lot of Pelicans, plus cormorants, sandpipers, killdeer, gulls, yellow headed blackbirds and ducks. This lake is rich in waterfowl and its large, so multiple trips are in order.
Rocky bars are common throughout the lake. Many are submerged beneath the surface of the water. Watch for them off points of islands or in long lines of rocks and stumps that sometimes reach far into open water. They can scrape the bottom of your boat or make it feel tippy.
The premier launch site is at Holker’s Landing on the northwest side of the lake off Hwy 37. Use it to explore the northern bays and islands of the lake. Two other launch sites along the western shore of the lake offer access to the big lake and an egret rookery, but each has limitations. See notes on the Twin Cities Paddlesports Map.
The middle launch site offers access to an egret rookery and areas of the lake that may be too far to explore from Holker’s landing. The site, however, requires paddling through weed beds and narrow, shallow passages to get to open water.
The main body of Pelican Lake is large and the water is generally shallow. Wind can turn the lake surface into whitecaps and make paddling hard. Stay safe. Plan your paddle with wind and your own abilities in mind.
There are no bathrooms or portable toilets around Pelican Lake, and no gas stations or commercial buildings in the area. Plan accordingly.