[1] Platte Lake is the source of the Platte River, hence the name.

Platte Lake is located in the Crow Wing and Morrison Counties of north-central Minnesota, six miles northeast of the town of Harding at the north end of the Mississippi River-Sartell Watershed.

Platte Lake has four inlets and one outlet, which classifies it as a drainage lake.

The Platte River flows through the lake and provides a broad connection to Sullivan Lake.

The Platte River then eventually joins the Mississippi River.