About

Christmas Lake is a spring-fed lake covering approximately 265 acres (1.1 km2) in the western Minneapolis suburbs of Shorewood and Chanhassen. The lake is crossed by the border of Hennepin and Carver counties, with most of the area lying within Hennepin County.

Christmas Lake is known for its exceptional water clarity, the best in the Minneapolis metropolitan area, with a DNR-reported clarity level of 20 feet. This clarity can be attributed to the fact that Christmas Lake is a spring-fed lake with a sandy bottom. Although relatively small in area, the lake becomes deep very quickly, forming the basin of a depression that extends all along “the Ridge” (the rim of the lake’s basin). The steep nature of the shoreline means that many houses are built far above the lake with railed motorized carts to provide access to the docks at the water level.

Christmas Lake falls under the jurisdiction of the city of Shorewood, MN, although much informal control is maintained by the close-knit community of the Christmas Lake Homeowners Association.