We have a lot of lakes in Minnesota. The best ones I've found were Lake Pepin between Minnesota and Wisconsin and, of course, Lake Superior up in the Apostle Islands. Those are God's gift to sailors.
guide to lake sailing
- Thread starter jbrosecity
- Start date
- Status
Along with DaddyO I also live in Minnesota. In addition to Lake Pepin there is also Lake St Croix on the St. Croix River and there is Leech Lake which is near Walker, MN.
Here is some information that might be useful:
Lake Pepin-south of the Twin Cities about 90 minutes. Lake Pepin is a wide spot in the Mississippi River bordered by Minnesota and Wisconsin. On the Minnesota side is the town of Lake City. Quaint and charming with some decent restaurants and a grocery store. There are a couple of marinas there that have facilities for transients. There is the Lake City Marina and Hansen's Harbor. Sailing on Lake Pepin is fun but can be challenging because of the high bluffs and barge traffic on the river. If you want to anchor out there are a few spots to tuck into. ON the Wisconsin side is the town of Pepin and there you will also find some transient slips and a couple good restaurants. It is a really beautiful place in the summer time.
Lake St. Croix is a wide spot in the St. Croix River that divides Minnesota and Wisconsin and offers a much more urban experience. There is the St. Croix Marina on the Wisconsin side in the delightful town of Hudson, WI. and on the Minnesota side there is the Afton Marina in the charming town of Afton. Both towns offer sailboats places to tie up to and an easy walk to a variety of shops and restaurants. Lake St. Croix is a fun place to sail with generally good wind conditions but does tend to get very busy on weekends
Leech Lake-Located in the town of Walker, MN Leech Lake is about 3.5 hours northwest of the Twin Cities. At over 100k acres it is a very large lake. It is known for its realtively shallow depths and can be quite choppy but the winds are great and it is an awesome place to sail. There is a place there called Shores Of Leech that offers transient slips, a campground and some great amenities. The third weekend of every August there is a big regatta held at the Shores Of Leech. Boats come from all over for some very spirited competion over a 3 day race series. The lake also offers lots of great spots to anchor out if you are so inclined.
Lake Superior-While there are lots of places to sail I know the Apostle Islands area the best. The Apostle Islands are located off the tip of the Bayfield Peninsula in Wisconsin and are considered to on the South Shore of the lake. There are 21 islands that you can sail to and around with many delightful anchorages. Being in the islands certainly gives you a big lake experience but does protect you to some extent from the fury that can sometimes be the open lake. The gateway city to the Apostles (which are all National Park Lakeshore) is the lovely town of Bayfield WI which is full of great shops, stores, restaurants, apple orchard and fruit farms. There are a number of marinas there that offer transient services. My favorite (because it is my marina) is Pikes Bay Marina. But there is also Port Superior, Bayfield Marina, Apostle Islands Marina and Roys Point. The truly definitive cruising guide for Lake Superior is called "The Superior Way" by Bonnie Dahl.
Sorry, maybe more than you needed to know but I hope it helps.
Here is some information that might be useful:
Lake Pepin-south of the Twin Cities about 90 minutes. Lake Pepin is a wide spot in the Mississippi River bordered by Minnesota and Wisconsin. On the Minnesota side is the town of Lake City. Quaint and charming with some decent restaurants and a grocery store. There are a couple of marinas there that have facilities for transients. There is the Lake City Marina and Hansen's Harbor. Sailing on Lake Pepin is fun but can be challenging because of the high bluffs and barge traffic on the river. If you want to anchor out there are a few spots to tuck into. ON the Wisconsin side is the town of Pepin and there you will also find some transient slips and a couple good restaurants. It is a really beautiful place in the summer time.
Lake St. Croix is a wide spot in the St. Croix River that divides Minnesota and Wisconsin and offers a much more urban experience. There is the St. Croix Marina on the Wisconsin side in the delightful town of Hudson, WI. and on the Minnesota side there is the Afton Marina in the charming town of Afton. Both towns offer sailboats places to tie up to and an easy walk to a variety of shops and restaurants. Lake St. Croix is a fun place to sail with generally good wind conditions but does tend to get very busy on weekends
Leech Lake-Located in the town of Walker, MN Leech Lake is about 3.5 hours northwest of the Twin Cities. At over 100k acres it is a very large lake. It is known for its realtively shallow depths and can be quite choppy but the winds are great and it is an awesome place to sail. There is a place there called Shores Of Leech that offers transient slips, a campground and some great amenities. The third weekend of every August there is a big regatta held at the Shores Of Leech. Boats come from all over for some very spirited competion over a 3 day race series. The lake also offers lots of great spots to anchor out if you are so inclined.
Lake Superior-While there are lots of places to sail I know the Apostle Islands area the best. The Apostle Islands are located off the tip of the Bayfield Peninsula in Wisconsin and are considered to on the South Shore of the lake. There are 21 islands that you can sail to and around with many delightful anchorages. Being in the islands certainly gives you a big lake experience but does protect you to some extent from the fury that can sometimes be the open lake. The gateway city to the Apostles (which are all National Park Lakeshore) is the lovely town of Bayfield WI which is full of great shops, stores, restaurants, apple orchard and fruit farms. There are a number of marinas there that offer transient services. My favorite (because it is my marina) is Pikes Bay Marina. But there is also Port Superior, Bayfield Marina, Apostle Islands Marina and Roys Point. The truly definitive cruising guide for Lake Superior is called "The Superior Way" by Bonnie Dahl.
Sorry, maybe more than you needed to know but I hope it helps.
Thanks to everyone for the recent posts... just checking in today and reading with interest. I'll just make a few comments relative to other posts. Sumner, I think we have skipped the idea of Kootenay. Twisty roads for sure, and summer winds don't sound too reliable, after speaking with a couple sailors up that way. As for launching boats, if you look at our webpage
http://www.TheAnneMarie.com/windseeker
you will see the beauty of this rig... we will NEVER be launching a boat with this behemoth... I wouldn't even consider it. That's why we chose this specific rig because we can take along our little 4wd Chevy Tracker in the garage which does a great job and provides us with local transportation so the big rig just stays parked. I like your Endeavour 37... if my wife didn't get seasick the minute she steps on a sailboat on salt water, I might have considered something that... and cruising the Bahamas and Caribbean. But I gotta keep the first mate happy, so this is our plan
Our itinerary for this spring and summer is Fern Ridge Lake, Oregon for May (Richardsron Park is a nice campground), Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho for June. Blackwell RV park there, right on the water, is a great RV park and Murphy's Marine right next door has very reasonable moorage rates. Blackwell has a special deal for June and it works out to less than $20 a night for full hookups with 50 amp service... hard to beat. July 1 we'll head up to Kelowna where we have friends. We'll decide last minute about the wind forecasts as to whether we take the sailboat along. We may just leave it in Cd'A and pick it up on the way back down. Moorage there is horrible also, so we'll only stay a week or two, depending on the winds. Then we have reservations at Flathead Lake in MT for about 6 weeks or so, a great big deep lake with good winds and lots of sailing, and many good camping and moorage options. After that we'll hit Bear Lake on the Idaho/Utah border for a few weeks before we return to Oregon. And then we'll put the boat back in at Hayden Island until, the rains start in earnest for fall.
Shanker mentioned Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho. We have been there and it's a beautiful place but not sure about the winds with those deep canyon walls. We checked out Sandpoint and there is little or no sailing up at that end of the lake and absolutely no sailboat moorage. We'll stick to Cd'A, I think. Ray Bowles mentioned Roosevelt. We have been there also with our ski boat. Pretty spot, but seems like it is better suited for powerboats, twisty turny river and lots of glassy water. Definitely uncrowded waters though.
Thanks to Andy for the Active Captain recommendation. Their Guidebook thing seems to be on the blink right now, but I registered and look forward to more info from them. As for charts and chartplotters and such, this subject is gonna take a lot more study. I won't need one for this summer. I know all the lakes except Flathead and I'll pick up some local charts there before I do anything hasty. Definitely I will wanna be sure that whatever I wind up is appropriate for inland lakes. Stu, I'll keep in mind a book with the subtitle ""Perfect Sailing Lakes for a 22 or 23 foot Trailerable Sailboat Where We Can Also Park Our RV 40 Foot Motorhome for Extended Periods." LOL! I'll work on a shorter catchier title. <G>
And Capshroud, thanks for the kansas tips... I have logged them for future consideration. Andy mentioned Arkansas and we are for SURE headed there in early summer 2013 as we start our big loop heading North out of Texas where we plan to spend next winter. We'll be doing Oklahoma (gotta see Texoma), Arkansas, Missouri and then up into the upper midwest to Michigan and Wisconsin. We will firm up those plans NEXT winter
http://www.TheAnneMarie.com/windseeker
you will see the beauty of this rig... we will NEVER be launching a boat with this behemoth... I wouldn't even consider it. That's why we chose this specific rig because we can take along our little 4wd Chevy Tracker in the garage which does a great job and provides us with local transportation so the big rig just stays parked. I like your Endeavour 37... if my wife didn't get seasick the minute she steps on a sailboat on salt water, I might have considered something that... and cruising the Bahamas and Caribbean. But I gotta keep the first mate happy, so this is our plan
Our itinerary for this spring and summer is Fern Ridge Lake, Oregon for May (Richardsron Park is a nice campground), Lake Coeur d'Alene in Idaho for June. Blackwell RV park there, right on the water, is a great RV park and Murphy's Marine right next door has very reasonable moorage rates. Blackwell has a special deal for June and it works out to less than $20 a night for full hookups with 50 amp service... hard to beat. July 1 we'll head up to Kelowna where we have friends. We'll decide last minute about the wind forecasts as to whether we take the sailboat along. We may just leave it in Cd'A and pick it up on the way back down. Moorage there is horrible also, so we'll only stay a week or two, depending on the winds. Then we have reservations at Flathead Lake in MT for about 6 weeks or so, a great big deep lake with good winds and lots of sailing, and many good camping and moorage options. After that we'll hit Bear Lake on the Idaho/Utah border for a few weeks before we return to Oregon. And then we'll put the boat back in at Hayden Island until, the rains start in earnest for fall.
Shanker mentioned Lake Pend Oreille in Idaho. We have been there and it's a beautiful place but not sure about the winds with those deep canyon walls. We checked out Sandpoint and there is little or no sailing up at that end of the lake and absolutely no sailboat moorage. We'll stick to Cd'A, I think. Ray Bowles mentioned Roosevelt. We have been there also with our ski boat. Pretty spot, but seems like it is better suited for powerboats, twisty turny river and lots of glassy water. Definitely uncrowded waters though.
Thanks to Andy for the Active Captain recommendation. Their Guidebook thing seems to be on the blink right now, but I registered and look forward to more info from them. As for charts and chartplotters and such, this subject is gonna take a lot more study. I won't need one for this summer. I know all the lakes except Flathead and I'll pick up some local charts there before I do anything hasty. Definitely I will wanna be sure that whatever I wind up is appropriate for inland lakes. Stu, I'll keep in mind a book with the subtitle ""Perfect Sailing Lakes for a 22 or 23 foot Trailerable Sailboat Where We Can Also Park Our RV 40 Foot Motorhome for Extended Periods." LOL! I'll work on a shorter catchier title. <G>
And Capshroud, thanks for the kansas tips... I have logged them for future consideration. Andy mentioned Arkansas and we are for SURE headed there in early summer 2013 as we start our big loop heading North out of Texas where we plan to spend next winter. We'll be doing Oklahoma (gotta see Texoma), Arkansas, Missouri and then up into the upper midwest to Michigan and Wisconsin. We will firm up those plans NEXT winter
I'll stand up and represent Stockton lake in Missouri. Stockton is located in the SW corner of the state. There are two arms to the lake that run 25+ miles. There are two marinas home to fixed-keel 45 footers and Geminis. Stockton is a state park, so there are camping sites all around the lake. Best part is there is no development, no houses. The shorelines are Oaks\Walnuts wooded. Quite beautiful. The town of Stockton has anything you need. This is Missouri bushwhacker country.
Careful over there on the Kansas side with that Lake Perry, near Lawrence. There are pirates, jayhawkers and other nefarious creatures roaming about. ;-)
Careful over there on the Kansas side with that Lake Perry, near Lawrence. There are pirates, jayhawkers and other nefarious creatures roaming about. ;-)
Last edited:
Thanks for the most recent tips. One tip that REALLY opened up our travel plans was the link to www.activecaptain.com. WOW! What can I say?
The "Interactive Cruising Guidebook Feature" is extraordinary. What a fabulous way to check on marinas and other key spots on a given lake. And I can add new ones we will undoubtedly discover in our travels, as our small contribution to the ever growing database. I had asked the creator Jeff why the distance scale isn't on the mapping which uses Bing and he said a recent flash update had broken it, and that it would be fixed some day, but meanwhile he tipped me to a totally cool feature which is really extraordinary. It's fun even on a lake I am quite familiar with like Canyon Lake in central Texas.
I added a few "waypoints" as a typical sailing route out of the marina with a couple tacks to get down to the dam. Always wondered how far that was. Well it maps out to 6.4 miles. Then I did a second one tracking the optimal single tack return path when it is late and you are making a beeline back to the marina... it is 4.6 miles. Pretty interesting!
And of course HUGELY interesting as we visit different lakes. So we can pull up any lake and its locales like Lake Superior's "Apostle Islands" for example and you instantly see a couple dozen marinas and inlets listed and you can track the distance from one to another easily with this tool for planning purposes. Very neat indeed.
Check out the Measuring a path newsletter section here:
https://activecaptain.com/newsletters/2011-09-21.php
The "Interactive Cruising Guidebook Feature" is extraordinary. What a fabulous way to check on marinas and other key spots on a given lake. And I can add new ones we will undoubtedly discover in our travels, as our small contribution to the ever growing database. I had asked the creator Jeff why the distance scale isn't on the mapping which uses Bing and he said a recent flash update had broken it, and that it would be fixed some day, but meanwhile he tipped me to a totally cool feature which is really extraordinary. It's fun even on a lake I am quite familiar with like Canyon Lake in central Texas.
I added a few "waypoints" as a typical sailing route out of the marina with a couple tacks to get down to the dam. Always wondered how far that was. Well it maps out to 6.4 miles. Then I did a second one tracking the optimal single tack return path when it is late and you are making a beeline back to the marina... it is 4.6 miles. Pretty interesting!
And of course HUGELY interesting as we visit different lakes. So we can pull up any lake and its locales like Lake Superior's "Apostle Islands" for example and you instantly see a couple dozen marinas and inlets listed and you can track the distance from one to another easily with this tool for planning purposes. Very neat indeed.
Check out the Measuring a path newsletter section here:
https://activecaptain.com/newsletters/2011-09-21.php
We would like to get there at some point, being an Ex-Missouri guy
. How much clearance is there on the bridges on some of the arms,Sum
Our Endeavour 37
Our Trips to Utah, Idaho, Canada, Florida
Our MacGregor S Pages
Mac-Venture Links
Check out Greers Ferry Lake in Arkansas. Very scenic... good sailing...friendly people.
http://www.arkansas.com/places-to-go/lakes-rivers/lake.aspx?id=7
http://www.gflyc.com/
http://www.arkansas.com/places-to-go/lakes-rivers/lake.aspx?id=7
http://www.gflyc.com/
- Status