Beginning at Big Stone Lake at Ortonville on the western border, the river flows southeast to Mankato. Then it runs northeast to the Mississippi River at the southern edge of St. Paul. The river starts in Lake Itasca in north-central Minnesota near the junction of Hwy. 92 and 200. From there it continues south forming the southern part of the state's eastern border.
Fishing is generally best below the dams and in the inlets and backwaters.
A large lake on the western edge of Ottertail in central-western Minnesota along Hwy. The largest, coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes. The lake forms the northern portion of the eastern border of the state. Minnesota claims about seven percent of the lake's total acreage, or 1.4 million acres. 61 follows the entire length of the state's shoreline from Duluth up to Grand Portage.