A Year on Arrowhead Lake
Arrowhead changes more through the seasons than most lakes on the chain, because so much of it is alive with plants and rice.
A deep, clear lake looks much the same from June to September. Arrowhead does not. At 13 feet deep and covered almost wall to wall in plants, it moves through the year like a meadow does, greening, rising, ripening and going quiet. Owning a place here means watching that cycle up close.
If you would like to spend your own seasons on Arrowhead, start on the buyer page. If you already own here and are wondering about timing, request a private valuation.
Spring: ice-out and first light
Shallow, dark-bottomed lakes tend to shed their ice and warm faster than deep ones, and Arrowhead has no deep water at all. Ice-out timing still varies from year to year, and the Minnesota DNR posts reported ice-out dates for lakes across the state.
Spring is when the birds come back. In the DNR's lakeshore survey, Arrowhead recorded 61 bird species and 14 species of greatest conservation need, the second-highest count on the chain. Swamp sparrows, veeries, ovenbirds and rose-breasted grosbeaks were found most often here. Mink frogs call from around the lake as the water warms.
Summer: the rice lake
By midsummer Arrowhead is green from shore to shore. The DNR's 2011 survey found plants at 95 percent of sampled sites and mapped about 131 acres of emergent and floating-leaf beds, including roughly 124 acres of wild rice. White and yellow waterlilies, watershield and bulrush fill in the shallows.
This is the season for kayaks and canoes, slow pontoon rides, evening fishing for bluegill and bass, and trips through the channel to Upper Whitefish and beyond. Late in summer the rice heads out and the lake takes on a gold tone.
Wild rice harvesting in Minnesota is regulated by the DNR, with license and season rules. Check current regulations before you go out.
Fall: color and quiet
Much of Arrowhead's shoreland is forested, so fall color wraps around the lake, with wetlands at the northeast and southwest ends turning their own shades of rust and gold. Boat traffic thins on the whole chain, and the plants begin to die back. It is a fine time to simply sit on the dock.
Winter: ice season
Once ice forms, Arrowhead becomes a white plain ringed with pine and bare hardwoods. Ice anglers work the weed edges, and snowshoeing and cross-country skiing in the area are popular. Always confirm ice conditions locally and treat channels and moving water with extra caution.
A bit of history
The Whitefish Chain owes its shape to water control. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers built the Pine River Dam at the outlet of Cross Lake, beginning with a timber dam that went into operation in 1886. The dam raised water levels and joined the lakes into the chain people know today. The present concrete structure was built between 1905 and 1907.
Arrowhead came into the chain later. According to the DNR, an intermittent stream between Arrowhead and Upper Whitefish was dredged in 1961 to allow fish passage and help prevent winterkill, creating the permanent channel boaters use now.
The DNR describes Arrowhead's main basin as shaped roughly like an arrow pointing northeast. The sources I checked do not record how the lake got its name, so I will leave that story to the old-timers.
Nearby things to do
- Crosslake Recreation Area, run by the Corps of Engineers at the dam, with camping, swimming, picnicking and fishing.
- The Crosslake Historical Society, which displays restored buildings from the 1800s and 1900s.
- Paddling the Pine River below the dam, a state water trail.
- Exploring the rest of the chain by boat, from Cross Lake to Lower Whitefish.
Questions
When does the ice go out on Arrowhead Lake?
It varies by year. Shallow lakes like Arrowhead tend to warm quickly in spring, and the DNR posts reported ice-out dates statewide.
When did Arrowhead Lake join the Whitefish Chain?
The DNR reports that a permanent channel to Upper Whitefish Lake was dredged in 1961.
What wildlife lives around Arrowhead Lake?
The DNR's lakeshore survey recorded 61 bird species there, along with mink frogs. The rice beds and the Aquatic Management Area on the northeast shore support a wide range of wildlife.
More: Arrowhead Lake guide, Arrowhead fishing guide, selling on Arrowhead, and all Whitefish Chain lakes.
My family has a cabin on the Whitefish Chain in Crosslake, and I am glad to talk lakes any time of year. Call or text 218.513.2677 or email david@whitefishpropertyfinder.com.
Sources: Minnesota DNR, Aquatic Vegetation of Arrowhead Lake (2011); Minnesota DNR, Sensitive Lakeshore Survey, Whitefish Chain of Lakes; Minnesota DNR, Ice-Out Dates; Minnesota DNR, Pine River State Water Trail.