US lakes & pondsUS lakes & pondsTurtle Lake · North Central Cass · Shingobee · Leech Lake · Gould · Otter Tail Peninsula, Minnesota — Cass County.
Surface area: The USGS National Hydrography Dataset outline (NHD Permanent ID 120018981).
The red circle marks Leech Lake.
Towns and counties: U.S. Census Bureau boundaries overlaid on the USGS lake outline.
Official Minnesota DNR pages. Rules and fees change; check before you go.
Built only from the data on this page: official access lists, OpenStreetMap beaches and trails, campground listings, state and USGS invasive-species records. We don't rate crowds or water quality.
Fish species found in Minnesota DNR lake surveys: Black bullhead, Black crappie, Bluegill, Bowfin (dogfish), Brown bullhead, Burbot, Hybrid sunfish, Lake whitefish, Largemouth bass, Muskellunge, Northern pike, Northern sunfish, Pumpkinseed, Rock bass, Smallmouth bass, Tullibee (cisco), Walleye, White sucker, Yellow bullhead, Yellow perch.
Shallow (littoral) area: 57,994 of 103,444 acres
Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources LakeFinder record for Leech Lake (DOW 11020300), with lake survey reports, depth maps and stocking history. Acreage here can differ slightly from our mapped outline.
Numbers on the map match the list at rightbelow.
Shoreline: USGS National Hydrography Dataset (NHD Waterbody, Permanent ID 120018981), public domain. State outline: U.S. Census Bureau TIGERweb. Points: Minnesota DNR public water access sites (Minnesota Geospatial Commons) and OpenStreetMap boat ramps (ODbL). Dashed trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Interactive map: Leaflet with © OpenStreetMap contributors. Not for navigation.
OpenStreetMap shows about 4.9 mi of public hiking and walking trail within about 100 m (330 ft) of the Leech Lake shoreline, mostly along the west shore.
No trailhead is mapped for these trails. The closest public access site is Leech Lake, Erickson's Landing Public Water Access Site, 250 ft from a shoreline trail (Minnesota DNR water access data).
The dashed brown line on the lake map shows these trails. We include paths, footways and marked trails that OpenStreetMap doesn't mark as private, and leave out roads, sidewalks and snowmobile corridors. Mapped trails can still cross private land or close for the season, and not every trail is mapped, so follow posted signs.
Trails: © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL). Map data as of Oct 9, 2026. Trail lengths count only the parts within about 100 m of the USGS NHD lake outline.
We found 20 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles of Leech Lake, 4 of them within 5 miles. 2 are right on the shore. Distances are straight-line from the nearest point on the shoreline, so driving distance is longer.
Full hookups at 8 sites · RVs welcome · Tent sites · Showers
Electric hookups · RVs welcome · Showers · Drinking water
RVs welcome
RVs welcome
Drinking water
Electric hookups · RVs welcome · Tent sites · Toilets
All campgrounds & RV parks in Minnesota
Green tent icons on the lake map mark campgrounds near the shore, and the interactive map shows the closest 12. Amenities are listed only where a source records them; call or check the campground's website before you go, since seasons and rates change every year.
Campground data: Recreation.gov (RIDB) · OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Pulled Oct 12, 2026.
Live from the National Weather Service API for the lake's coordinates (47.1771, -94.4299). The nearest station may be several miles away. NWS forecast for Leech Lake. No live water-temperature sensor is shown because we haven't found a public one for this lake.
Based on solunar theory, an estimate. Major periods (about 2 hours) center on when the moon is directly overhead or underfoot; minor periods (about 1 hour) center on moonrise and moonset. The 0–100 activity score rises during those periods and gets a boost near sunrise and sunset and around the new and full moon. Weather, water temperature and pressure often matter more. Sun and moon times are calculated in your browser from the lake's coordinates with standard astronomy formulas, shown in CT (America/Chicago), and accurate to within a few minutes.
24 public access sites listed, 23 with a boat ramp or trailer launch.
| Site | Town | Owner | Type | Parking | Fee | Uses | Map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boat ramp | Turtle Lake | — | Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp | — | — | Boating | 47.0958, -94.5082 |
| Boat ramp | Turtle Lake | — | Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp | — | — | Boating | 47.1492, -94.5292 |
| Boat ramp | Turtle Lake | — | Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp | — | — | Boating | 47.1566, -94.5139 |
| Boat ramp | Turtle Lake | — | Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp | — | — | Boating | 47.1600, -94.5166 |
| Boat ramp | Turtle Lake | — | Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp | — | — | Boating | 47.1503, -94.5223 |
| Boat ramp | Leech Lake | — | Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp | — | — | Boating | 47.1929, -94.6179 |
| Boat ramp | Leech Lake | — | Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp | — | — | Boating | 47.1588, -94.6246 |
| Boat ramp | Leech Lake | — | Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp | — | — | Boating | 47.1589, -94.6265 |
| Boat ramp | Leech Lake | — | Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp | — | — | Boating | 47.2080, -94.6067 |
| Boat ramp | Leech Lake | — | Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp | — | — | Boating | 47.1932, -94.6206 |
| Boat ramp | Boy Lake | — | Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp | — | — | Boating | 47.0964, -94.2847 |
| Boat ramp | Shingobee | — | Boat ramp (OpenStreetMap) · Yes ramp | — | No fee | Boating | 47.1042, -94.5498 |
| Leech Lake River Public Water Access Site | Turtle Lake | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | Trailer launch · Yes ramp | 50 trailer, 4 car | — | Fishing, Boating | 47.2473, -94.2185 |
| Leech Lake River, Federal Dam Public Water Access Site | Turtle Lake | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | — | — | Fishing, Boating Restroom | 47.2458, -94.2277 |
| Leech Lake River, Hwy 8 Public Water Access Site | Turtle Lake | U.S. Army Corps of Engineers | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 50 trailer, 10 car | — | Fishing, Boating Restroom | 47.2466, -94.2258 |
| Leech Lake, Battle Point Public Water Access Site | Turtle Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 30 trailer, 3 car | — | Fishing, Boating Restroom | 47.1694, -94.2878 |
| Leech Lake, Brevik Public Water Access Site | Turtle Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Trailer launch · Yes ramp | 4 trailer | — | Fishing, Boating | 47.0937, -94.2837 |
| Leech Lake, Erickson's Landing Public Water Access Site | Turtle Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 30 trailer, 3 car | — | Fishing, Boating Restroom | 47.1348, -94.6216 |
| Leech Lake, Shingobee Island Public Water Access Site | Turtle Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp | 5 trailer, 5 car | — | Fishing, Boating Restroom | 47.0631, -94.5636 |
| Leech Lake, Stony Point Public Water Access Site | Turtle Lake | U.S. Forest Service | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 16 trailer | — | Fishing, Boating Restroom | 47.1351, -94.4559 |
| Leech Lake, Sucker Bay Public Water Access Site | Turtle Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 15 trailer | — | Fishing, Boating Restroom | 47.2716, -94.4107 |
| Leech Lake, Walker City Park Public Water Access Site | Turtle Lake | City of Walker | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp · dock | 50 trailer, 12 car | — | Fishing, Boating Restroom | 47.1016, -94.5729 |
| Leech Lake, Whipholt Wayside Public Water Access Site | Turtle Lake | MNDOT | Trailer launch · Concrete slab ramp | 10 trailer, 50 car | — | Fishing, Boating | 47.0505, -94.3569 |
| Leech Lake, Two Points Public Water Access Site | Turtle Lake | DNR Division of Parks and Trails | Carry-in (hand launch) | — | — | Fishing, Boating | 47.2289, -94.3749 |
Minnesota DNR public water access sites (Minnesota Geospatial Commons) and OpenStreetMap boat ramps (ODbL)
Fees, hours and rules change; confirm with the site owner before you go.
Reported on or near Leech Lake
USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database
USGS records matched to this water by location (within about 150 m of the outline) or by the place name in the record. A record shows a sighting was reported; it doesn't prove the species is still there. As of Oct 10, 2026.
Leech Lake covers about 103,350 acres in Turtle Lake, North Central Cass, Shingobee and Leech Lake, Minnesota (Cass County).
The maximum recorded depth is 150 feet and the mean depth is 18 feet, according to the Minnesota DNR LakeFinder.
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder lists Walleye, Muskellunge, Northern pike, Largemouth bass, Smallmouth bass, Black crappie, Bluegill, Yellow perch, Tullibee (cisco) and Lake whitefish and 10 more.
Yes. 23 public trailer launches are listed: Leech Lake, Erickson's Landing Public Water Access Site, Leech Lake River, Hwy 8 Public Water Access Site and Leech Lake, Shingobee Island Public Water Access Site. Check posted fees and parking rules.
Yes. We list 20 campgrounds and RV parks within 15 miles, 4 of them within 5 miles.
Leech Lake touches Turtle Lake, North Central Cass, Shingobee, Leech Lake, Gould and Otter Tail Peninsula in Cass County, Minnesota.
Know Leech Lake? Tell us about the launch, parking, where they're biting or anything a first-time visitor should know. Tips go privately to the LakeRipple editor; nothing is posted automatically. Helpful tips may be featured on this page (we'll use your first name only if you give one).
Straight-line distance between lake centers. All Minnesota lakes & ponds · All waters in Turtle Lake