Lake Hiawatha

Lake Hiawatha
Lake Hiawatha in July 2010
Location	Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States
Coordinates	44°55′15″N 093°14′11″W / 44.92083°N 93.23639°W / 44.92083; -93.23639Coordinates: 44°55′15″N 093°14′11″W / 44.92083°N 93.23639°W / 44.92083; -93.23639
Primary inflows	Minnehaha Creek
Primary outflows	Minnehaha Creek
Basin countries	United States
Surface area	53.5 acres (217,000 m2)
Max. depth	33 ft (10 m)
Surface elevation	814 ft (248 m)
Frozen	winter

Lake Hiawatha is located just north of Lake Nokomis in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was purchased by the Minneapolis park system in 1922 for $550,000. At that time the lake was a marsh known as Rice Lake, but over four years, the park system transformed the wetland into a lake surrounded by a park.

The lake and park have a fishing dock, wading pool, tennis courts, softball diamonds. There is a recreation center that hosts activities. The lake borders a municipal golf course. In the winter the park sets up ice and hockey rinks. There is a bike and walking path starting at Lake Hiawatha which veers onto Lake Nokomis or winds down the Minnehaha Creek right to the mouth of the Minnehaha Falls.

Lake Hiawatha is one of the few lakes through which the Minnehaha Creek flows, and the last one before it reaches Minnehaha Falls and then the Mississippi River.

The lake contains black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin, carp, golden shiner, green sunfish, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, walleye, white sucker, yellow bullhead, and yellow perch. Some fish consumption guideline restrictions have been placed on the lake's bluegill and northern pike due to mercury and/or PCB contamination.

Lake Hiawatha has much more garbage than any other Minneapolis lake. The lake is a stormwater outlet for the Corcoran, Central, Bryant, and Northrop neighborhoods, as well as the park's golf course.