A River walk has been constructed in the City passing along more than 2.5 miles of open shoreline. On the River walk one can stroll, jog or roller blade uninterrupted while viewing the magnificent scenery and activities on the Lake.

Lake Pepin is one of the finest sail boating lakes in all of Minnesota. The Lake City marina is the largest small boat marina on the Mississippi and is located two blocks to the east of the downtown business district. Many other water activities are easily accessible from three public boat launch facilities and a private marina in Lake City.

Fishermen have access to the lake from either shore fishing piers or boats. A public fish cleaning house in Roschen Park facilitates preparation of the day's catch. Numerous fishing tournaments are held. Walleye and striped Bass fishing are the most popular but Lake Pepin has over 85 species of fish as reported by the DNR. As a boundary water, fishing is open all year long.

The Lake attracts many species of birds. Spring and fall migrations of waterfowl can be seen from the shores, parks and even homes along the river. When the Lake freezes, dozens of eagles can be seen on the edge of the ice looking for an easy catch of fish. The same is repeated each spring as the lake ice goes out. Located in a Major Migratory Corridor, Lake City offers year round wildlife viewing. In Spring, Birders can view one of the largest concentrations of warblers at Hok-Si-La Park, rafts of Common Merganzers can be viewed from the shoreline, as well as, a number of other shore birds. A Lake City Area Birding Brochure and Map is available upon request.

Water Ski Days are held the last weekend in June drawing more than 20,000 visitors. The festival features music, crafts, carnival rides, a classic car show, parades and of course water ski shows. Ralph W. Samuelson was only 18 years old when he invented the sport of water skiing just off the shore from Lake City in 1922.

Johnny Appleseed Days, held the first weekend in October, features the abundance of apples grown in the area. It is held near the peak of the spectacular fall foliage. The orchards in the Lake City area produce about one-fourth of the 700,000 bushels of apples grown in Minnesota each year. The Lake City area is the nation's largest producer of the Haralson variety of apple.