Lake Pepin

Family of ducks paddles by, boats float

May 27, 2026

Look at this absolute family unit of mallard ducks. Photographer Ben Threinen snapped this photo of the two parents and their nine ducklings out for a Memorial Day weekend swim. Below, sailboats and motorboats on Lake Pepin in another photo by Threinen.

Remember spring?

Mar 18, 2026

Remember when it seemed like winter was over, when most of the snow had gone, when the lake ice was in retreat and even nighttime low temperatures didn’t dip much below freezing? If so, maybe these aerial images captured by local photographers before the weekend blizzard (see related story) will...

Ice creates spectacle as spring nears

Mar 11, 2026

Warming temperatures caused thick fog to blanket the area last week. Later the mist seem to settle near the still-frozen surface of Lake Pepin, adding intrigue to an already-scenic vista. Some anglers move to open water This week’s Minnesota Department of Natural Resources conservation officer...

Lake City lab works to save Minnesota’s mussels

Feb 18, 2026

While researching an earlier article on pearl buttons, I found out that the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has a facility in Lake City known as the Center for Aquatic Mollusk Programs (CAMP). Naturally, I reached out to learn more and spent a whole afternoon absorbing the very...

Ice, while it lasts

Feb 18, 2026

A February heatwave has melted much of the snow cover in and around Lake City and caused the closure of the city’s ice skating rink. Lake Pepin ice thickness, meanwhile, is being monitored in anticipation of the beginning of the commercial navigation season on the river. Ice measurements begin...

Ice, it’s not just for hockey, anymore

Jan 7, 2026

Ice anglers congregated off of Marina Point and many other places around Lake Pepin last weekend.-Photos by Ben Threinen

When a little slice of heaven freezes over

Dec 10, 2025

It’s happening again. Lake Pepin is putting on a winter coat of ice that it’s likely to wear until March. And snowplows, shovels, snowblowers, ice skates, and sleds have made appearances in the last few weeks. No more navigation The last tow of the 2025 Upper Mississippi River navigation season...

Gull takes a break at pier concourse

Nov 12, 2025

A gull rests in the sunshine at the government pier concourse in Lake City in this photo submitted by Don Schmitz. “I’ve taken so many wonderful captures of the beauty of Lake Pepin,” he wrote. “This is one more.”

Study aims to keep sediment out of Lake Pepin

Oct 22, 2025

Slowing the Flow: New Study Aims to Keep Sediment Out of Lake Pepin As Lake Pepin continues to shrink from excess sediment, Lake Pepin Legacy Alliance (LPLA) is leading new efforts with local partners to understand and reduce the problem. With support from the Red Wing Area Fund, LPLA has launched...

Wind surf was up Sunday

Oct 15, 2025

One of a few wind surfers taking advantage of windy conditions on Lake Pepin Sunday, Oct. 12, near Roschen Park.