Buying a Home on Loon Lake: A Practical Checklist for a Small Lake
What to look at before you buy on Loon Lake, from the water off the dock to the septic report, the channel and the winter road.
Small lakes have a way of winning people over. You stand on the dock, you can see across to the far shore, and the whole lake feels like something you could know by heart. That intimacy is the gift of Loon Lake. It also means each detail of a property matters a little more, because there is less lake to make up for it.
This guide is the walk-around you would want with someone who has done it many times. You decide. The checklist just helps you decide well.
Considering a home on Loon? Talk with David before you make an offer.
Know the lake first
Loon Lake is about 50 acres, with a maximum depth of about 30 feet. It has no public launch. It connects to Island Lake by a slow no-wake channel, and from Island to Whitefish Lake and the rest of the chain. The DNR studies Loon with Island as Island-Loon, and it has ranked Island-Loon among the Minnesota lakes most sensitive to phosphorus. About 42.6 acres of land drain directly into Loon, including runoff that a recent stormwater project along County Road 66 was built to treat. All of that is worth keeping in mind as you look at shoreline, lawn and septic. The Loon Lake guide has the overview.
Frontage and the water off the dock
- Confirm the frontage on the survey or county records.
- Wade in. Bottom type can change from one lot to the next. Walk the water in front of the property and see whether it is sand, muck, rock or weeds.
- Check depth at the end of the dock. Ask what boat the current owner keeps and how the lift sits in late summer.
- Look at the plant beds. The DNR found floating-leaf beds of white and yellow waterlilies in its survey of Island and Loon. Lily pads are beautiful and good habitat, but they affect swimming and boat access in front of some lots. Visit in midsummer if you can.
Exposure and view
On a small lake, the view across the water is often a view of the opposite shore. Look at what you see from the main living space and the dock. Notice which way the lot faces: west for evening sun, east for the morning. Ask how the view changes in winter, when the leaves are down.
Septic and shoreland rules
Loon sits near County Road 66 in the Crosslake area. Where a parcel lies inside the City of Crosslake, the city's Planning and Zoning Department administers land use and shoreland rules; outside city limits, Crow Wing County Land Services does. Confirm which applies to the property, early.
For parcels in the City of Crosslake, the city's fact sheets note:
- Impervious surface is capped at 25 percent in residential districts, with stormwater management required above 15 percent in the shoreland protection zone.
- A land use permit requires a septic compliance inspection completed within the past 3 years, or a new installation certificate within the past 5 years.
- Vegetation removal, beach sand, retaining walls and dirt moving near the lake have specific limits and often need a permit.
If you want to add a garage, expand the home or rework the shoreline, ask what is allowed before you buy. On a phosphorus-sensitive lake, expect rules that favor natural shorelines and careful runoff control.
Wake rules and channel access
Crow Wing County's water surface use ordinance makes the channel between Loon and Island a slow no-wake zone, and the channel between Island and Whitefish as well. That is a big part of Loon's calm. If you plan to keep a larger boat, ask about the channel's depth and clearance and how they change with water levels. With no public launch on Loon, plan where you will put your boat in and take it out each season.
Invasive species
In 2013, the DNR designated all 14 lakes of the Whitefish Chain, including Loon, as infested waters for zebra mussels because the lakes are connected. This affects how docks, lifts and boats are moved. Ask how the current owner handles it.
The winter road
If you will use the home in winter, find out who plows the road and driveway, whether the road is public or private, and how the drive handles snow and ice. Check the heat source, the well and how plumbing is protected. Being close to County Road 66 can make winter access easier, but confirm the details for the specific property.
Questions
Who issues shoreland permits for a Loon Lake property?
It depends on the parcel. Inside the City of Crosslake, the city's Planning and Zoning Department does. Outside the city, Crow Wing County Land Services does. Confirm for each property.
Can I keep a large boat on Loon Lake?
Possibly, but check the depth at the dock and the channel to Island Lake, which is a slow no-wake zone. There is no public launch on Loon.
Why is runoff such a focus on Loon?
About 42.6 acres of land drain directly into Loon, and the DNR has ranked Island-Loon among Minnesota's most phosphorus-sensitive lakes. Local partners built a stormwater project along County Road 66 to help protect it.
Still comparing? See what living on Loon Lake is like, read the Island Lake buyer's guide, or browse all the Whitefish Chain lakes.
David Olson is a 4th-generation builder with 20+ years of experience, so he looks past the view at structure, septic and shoreline. Call or text 218.513.2677 or email david@whitefishpropertyfinder.com. Start your search.
Sources: Minnesota DNR, Sensitive Lakeshore Survey, Whitefish Chain of Lakes (2012); Crow Wing County Water Surface Use Ordinance; City of Crosslake land use fact sheet; City of Crosslake shoreland alterations fact sheet; Pine and Lakes Echo Journal on the Island-Loon stormwater project; Minnesota DNR news release on Whitefish Chain infested waters (2013).