Leech Lake

Leech Lake at a glance

The center of the lake is at 47.1667, -94.3667. Maximum depth is around 151 feet. Surface elevation is about 1,296 feet.

Around Leech Lake this guide maps 3 named swimming spots and 3 public recreation areas. Recreation areas nearby include Leech Lake Recreation Area, Winnibigoshish Lake Day Use and Winnibigoshish Recreation Area. These come from Recreation.gov (RIDB) and USDA Forest Service. They include Walker Area, Norway Beach Swimming Area and Cass Lake Area. Unless the operating agency says otherwise, treat these as unsupervised swimming.

No public sensor reports water temperature at Leech Lake, so the panel shows air temperature and wind. Freshwater advisories are issued locally, so check the state health department before you swim. Most Minnesota day-use areas open for the summer season and close outside it.

If Leech Lake is busy, the nearest alternatives here are Lake Winnibigoshish (Minnesota, 21 mi), Lake Bemidji (Minnesota, 32 mi) and Bowstring Lake (Minnesota, 34 mi). Minnesota has 34 lakes on this site in total.

Readings come from station 05205900 (LEECH LAKE AT SUGAR POINT NEAR FEDERAL DAM, MN). The last value stored here, 94.27 ft, is from 2026-09-09. The top of the dam sits at 1,299.5 ft. The Corps of Engineers puts the top of the flood pool at 1,297.9 ft. Water level decides what is usable on the shoreline, from beach width to ramp access.