Top Four Minnesota Counties Without Natural Lakes Uncovered

They're part of 87 total counties that make up the North Star State, but these four counties lack one of the most Minnesota things ever.

As we've all heard a gazillion times already, Minnesota is known as the Land of 10,000 Lakes. I mean, that slogan is right there on our license plates, right? And even though the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) points out that our state actually has 11,842 total lakes, as it turns out, those lakes don't occur just *anywhere*-- especially in these four Minnesota counties.

I'd heard from a friend a few years ago that Olmsted County, home to Minnesota's third-largest city of Rochester, was the only Minnesota county to NOT have any natural lakes. What?!? Is this true, I wondered? I turned to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources for the answer. And, as it turns out, my friend was only partly correct.

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While it's true that Olmsted County doesn't have any natural lakes, the home of the world-famous Mayo Clinic isn't the only county where that's the case. Three other Minnesota counties are in that same boat (though it's actually tough to get in *any* boat in these counties, because they don't have any lakes.)

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Every one of Minnesota's other 83 counties has at least one naturally occurring lake 10 acres or larger. But not in the following four counties:

Olmsted County (in southeast Minnesota)
Mower County (along Minnesota's southern border with Iowa)
Pipestone County (on Minnesota's western border with South Dakota)
Rock County (just south of Pipestone County, in the very southwest corner of Minnesota)

Of course, some of those counties DO have some lake-like bodies of water, however. According to this Rochester Water Primer, Olmsted County has six reservoirs created by dams. Plus, Olmsted County is also home to Silver Lake in downtown Rochester, plus Cascade Lake, Foster Arend Lake, and Chester Lake at Chester Woods Park.

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Even part of Lake Zumbro is in Olmsted County (along with Wabasha County.) There's the pond/water feature at Quarry Hill Nature Center in Rochester, too. But those are all manmade bodies of water.

When it comes to natural lakes, Olmsted County has bupkis. That figure is in stark contrast to Otter Tail County in west-central Minnesota, which has a whopping 1,048 naturally occurring lakes. That impressive total is the most of any county, not just here in Minnesota, but in the entire United States. Impressive!

Perhaps you already knew about the lack of natural lakes in these four Minnesota counties. But just how well do you know your other obscure facts about the Bold North? Keep scrolling to see how to test your knowledge of all things Minnesota!