Join the hiking group for a hike around scenic Lake Nokomis in South Minneapolis. Lake Nokomis was called Lake Amelia in a fort map in 1823, probably named for the wife or daughter of Captain George Gooding, who came with the first troops in 1819. The name for the lake was changed to "Nokomis" by the park commissioners of Minneapolis in 1910, renaming it for the grandmother of Hiawatha, the legendary hero in Longfellow’s famous poem "Song of Hiawatha." Lake Nokomis Park has 210 acres of water and 195 acres of land. Lake Nokomis was acquired by the City of Minneapolis in 1907 for $65,000. Lake Nokomis sits on a glacial terrace on top of St. Peter Sandstone, initially was no more than 5 feet deep, and was subsequently dredged by the park board. Ground water coming into Lake Nokomis flows from the northwest, passes through the lake, and eventually empties into the Mississippi River.
Directions: From Highway 62 (Crosstown), take Cedar Avenue (Highway 77) north, past the bridge over the west end of Lake Nokomis and meet in the parking lot of Bergan’s Supervalu, 4715 Cedar Avenue South, just north of the intersection with Minnehaha Parkway. We can’t park in Bergan’s parking lot so please park on one of the adjacent side streets.
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This webpage was last updated on June 24, 2015.
