Red Lake (Minnesota)
General data
- Name: Red Lake (Minnesota)
- Water system: Lake Winnipeg
- Water type: Natural lake
- Progression: Red Lake River -> Red River of the North -> Lake Winnipeg -> Nelson River -> Hudson Bay -> Arctic ocean -> Planet Earth
- Climates: Continental
- Continents: North America
- Countries: United States of America
It is the largest natural freshwater lake located entirely within Minnesota, and the 16th largest lake in the United States. The lake is separated into two sections by a peninsula on the eastern side that almost bisects it in the middle. The community of Ponemah lies on the peninsula. The two parts of the lake are known as Upper Red Lake and Lower Red Lake. Lower Red Lake lies entirely within the Red Lake Indian Reservation. The western half of Upper Red Lake is included within the reservation boundary. Total size is 444 square miles (1,150 km2), with a maximum depth of 33 feet (10 m) in the lower portion of the lake. The elevation of the lake is maintained by a dam at the outflow that is the beginning of Red Lake River, this being at the middle, western edge of Lower Red Lake. The lake is a popular destination for ice fishing. In the early 2022 fishing season an incident occurred, involving around 200 people laying on the ice sheet on Upper Red Lake. The ice sheet ruptured isolating them over a floating ice bank which separated by over 90 feet (27 m) from the contiguous ice. They had to be rescued.[2] A similar incident, requiring the rescue of 122 anglers, happened in late December 2023.