3 miles southeast of Darwin
Meeker County, Minnesota · 45.0695° N, 94.3759° W
Directions to Washington Lake (E) Public Water Access SiteApple Maps
Directions open in Google or Apple Maps, to the Minnesota DNR public access sites (2 listed; this is the first).
Updated 19 Oct 2026, 6:08 pm EDT.
National Weather Service; National Interagency Fire Center; U.S. EPA CyAN satellite; Minnesota DNR. Weather, warnings, fires and satellite refresh when you open the page (checked at most hourly).
Minnesota DNR lake survey, fetched 15 Oct 2026. Not for navigation.
2 public access sites on Lake Washington.
Minnesota DNR public water accesses, fetched 15 Oct 2026.
Minnesota DNR stocking reports list 5 stockings of Lake Washington in 5 of the years 2017 to 2025. The most recent, in 2025, included 1,133,152 walleye fry. Species stocked: walleye.
Latest: 2025: 1,133,152 walleye fry.
Source: Minnesota DNR Fisheries (LakeFinder stocking reports), fetched 15 Oct 2026. How we measure
Measured from Minnesota DNR contours. How we measure
Minnesota DNR’s latest standard fish survey of Lake Washington was in July 2025: 15 gill nets and 15 trap nets caught 14 species.
Walleye per gill net, standard surveys: 2016 9.5 · 2018 5.5 · 2019 2.5 · 2021 13 · 2025 5.3
Bluegill per trap net, standard surveys: 2016 22 · 2018 36 · 2019 49 · 2021 61 · 2025 99
Walleye: 97 measured, 8 to 26 in, half 17 in or longer; average 1.8 lb, normal (normal 0.9–1.9 lb).
Northern pike: 69 measured, 9 to 29 in, half 23 in or longer; average 2.8 lb, normal (normal 1.5–3 lb).
Largemouth bass: 13 measured, 6 to 17 in, half 15 in or longer; average 1.9 lb, above normal (normal 0.3–1.1 lb).
Black crappie: 98 measured, 3 to 11 in, half 4 in or longer; average 0.11 lb, below normal (normal 0.2–0.4 lb).
Bluegill: 1,541 measured, 2 to 7 in, half 3 in or longer; average 0.02 lb, below normal (normal 0.2–0.4 lb).
Also caught: black bullhead, brown bullhead, common carp, hybrid sunfish, white sucker, yellow bullhead.
Source: Minnesota DNR Fisheries lake survey, 21 Jul 2025, via LakeFinder, fetched 15 Oct 2026. Normal range: DNR’s range for lakes of the same class (43 classes, grouped by water chemistry and shape). Each line has its own scale. How we measure
Measured water clarity averages about 3 ft: the Secchi depth across 10 readings, 2008–2025.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and volunteer Secchi readings, via Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, fetched 15 Oct 2026.
Minnesota DNR lake survey; straight-line miles.
Lake Washington is 17 feet at its deepest point, measured by Minnesota DNR survey. It covers 2,438 acres.
Yes. 2 public access sites are listed: Washington Lake (E) Public Water Access Site; Washington Lake (S) Public Water Access Site.
Yes. Minnesota DNR stocking reports list 5 stockings of it in 5 of the years 2017 to 2025. The most recent, in 2025, included 1,133,152 walleye fry.
Minnesota DNR’s July 2025 standard survey caught 14 species, most often bluegill, hybrid sunfish, black crappie and walleye.
About 39% of the lake's area is deeper than 10 feet, measured from Minnesota DNR depth contours.