Wall Lake

Wall Lake is located just west of Sioux Falls and is a heavily used area waterway. There is a good deal of development along much of the shoreline with lake homes that range from cottages to what seem like mansions to me. The lake is about twice the area of Lake Alvin, but it is pretty much an oval shape, which makes it look smaller. Minnehaha County has a park along the southern end of the lake with a swimming beach, shelter, and lots of picnic tables. The Girl Scouts have their area camp located just to the east of the park, still on county owned land. The state owned boat launching area is along the southwestern end of the lake, and this area is well developed and maintained. There are double launching ramps provided along with a dock and restroom facilities.



There is an undeveloped area of the lake along the west side, and scattered undeveloped spots along other parts. From the launching point, it took me only about an hour to kayak around the entire perimeter of the lake, including a narrow arm of the lake extending from the western shore in about a quarter of a mile.

As you approach the launching point, a clue to the nature of the lake is prominently posted by the dock in the form of a sign advising boat traffic to proceed in a counter clockwise direction. I saw this sign elsewhere on the lake as well. The need for a defined traffic pattern for a lake is a telling point regarding boat use. Since I arrived on a mid-week morning, I did not feel the need to adhere to that rotation: I took the clockwise route. There were only three other boats active on the lake during my cruise, but one of them was a ski boat that passed me three times with a resulting wake to navigate. I think that a wise kayaker will keep to the perimeter of the lake rather than risk a crossing in the middle; there are just too many possibilities of being either run down or caught up in a serious wake from ski boats. As I kayaked around the shoreline, I saw a great variety of boats, ranging from canoes to motorboats with powerful outboard motors. These motor boats can only zoom up and down this pretty small lake, so it is best to keep out of their way.



As I moved along the shoreline, I felt a bit like I was slumming, taking in the lifestyle of lake people. People who I came across didn’t seem especially friendly. I could pass within feet of people working in their yard or boat and not receive even a nod of acknowledgement. I felt like kind of an intruder upon the tranquility that these people must crave in their lake life style.

The attraction of Wall Lake for the kayaker, it seems to me, is primarily location; it is quite close to Sioux Falls. From my east side home, it was less than 20 miles, and much of that was just driving west along 57th Street. The waters are sheltered, and the Minnehaha County park is nice – or it was at mid-week with a deserted beach and no one around other than park employees. So, it is an easy body of water to access, and it is interesting to see the variety of lake properties enjoyed by people who have the opportunity to live that life style. It is also a suitable body of water for just paddling for technique or for exercise.

There are a number of features that do not place Wall Lake high on my list of area lakes. First, the high level of development seems to work in opposition to opportunities to observe wildlife. I did see a muskrat, but there were no waterfowl in sight during my cruise: no ducks, no geese, no egrets, and no great blue heron. There are lots of power boats using the lake, and this takes away from a tranquil paddle. The counter clockwise suggested rotation of boats just presents a negative notion to me. The lake is generally just a big oval which does not present a very interesting landform.



My recommendation is to restrict a visit to Wall Lake to mid-week mornings. I would think that weekends, holidays, and afternoons would be unattractive times for kayaking on this lake. Lake Alvin offers a better body of water for the kayaker who is interested in a location close to Sioux Falls.