Rainy Lake lies on the boundary between Ontario and Minnesota, about 125 miles (201 kilometers) north of Duluth, Minnesota. It covers about 350 square miles (906 square kilometers), and is shaped roughly like a capital L. Each arm is about 40 miles (64 kilometers) long and from 3 to 8 miles (5 to 13 kilometers) wide. Thousands of islands lie scattered throughout the lake. The longest stretch of open water is only about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) wide. The Canadian National Railway crosses the lake almost at its center on bridges that link islands.
Stands of spruce and pine cover the rocky shores of Rainy Lake. Many of these trees are cut for paper mills at Fort Frances, Ontario, and International Falls, Minnesota, at the west end. A dam at Fort Frances harnesses water for power. Pike, pickerel, and other kinds of fish are caught in Rainy Lake. Whitefish taken from the lake are sold commercially. Bear, moose, and other wild game roam around the lake. The Rainy River carries overflow waters westward to Lake of the Woods.
