Home / Lake Minnetonka Bays / Crystal Bay

Crystal Bay on Lake Minnetonkathe deepest, clearest water on the lake

They named it Crystal Bay for the water, and it's the deepest bay on the lake, about 113 feet. The Noerenberg family built here in 1890 and stayed year round, and their gardens are still open to anyone who wants a quiet walk on the shore.

Geoffrey Serdar

Good to know

• SunFrom the south shore the bay opens due west, straight into the equinox sunset. From Noerenberg Gardens on the north shore it opens south-southwest, so winter sunsets land over the water.
• WaterAbout 113 feet deep, the deepest on the lake, named by settler Allen French for its clear water. Walleye, bass, pike, musky, crappie and bluegill, with sharp drop-offs off the weed flats.
• ChannelsCoffee Channel runs west to Coffee Cove and the West Arm; another passage leads to North Arm.
• GardensNoerenberg Gardens: 73 acres with 8,490 feet of shoreline, the largest undeveloped shore on the lake.
• HistoryJames J. Hill opened the Hotel Lafayette at Minnetonka Beach in 1882; it burned in 1897. Lafayette Club, established 1899, still holds much of the south shore. The Noerenbergs built their estate, Willkommen, in 1890.
• IceLake-wide ice-out median is April 13. In 2026 the ice went out April 3.

What homes here ask and sell for

ASK means a list price, not a sale. Sales are public records or reported sales, shown with their date. Nothing here predicts future prices. See the most expensive homes on the lake and this week's closed sales.

Getting on the water

The nearest public launch is the Maxwell Bay access on the LMCD list. More: Lake access and boat slips and the Lost Lake slip guide.

Where to eat and stop

• Lord Fletcher's Old Lake Lodge, at Coffee Channel in Spring Park, by boat or car

Towns on the bay

OronoMinnetonka Beach

Questions people ask

Explore all the bays.