The First Nation's land base is the 4,266 ha (10,540 acres) Sandy Lake 88 Reserve (Oji-Cree:ᓀᑲᣞ ᕌᑲᐦᐃᑲᓃᐣᐠ (Negaw-zaaga'iganiing).

Within this reserve is the community of Sandy Lake, which during the mid-1900s was known as Waabitigweyaang (ᐙᐱᑎᑴᔮᐠ) which translates to White River.

The community is a fly-in community, serviced by Wasaya, Superior and Perimeter Airlines, and is linked to the rest of the province by a winter ice road that travels southwest towards Deer Lake and Pikangikum, meeting Red Lake via the Nungesser Road, which is open for approximately six weeks during the winter months.

Five doodem are found at Sandy Lake First Nation; these five clans are the: Suckers, Pelicans, Crane, Caribou and Sturgeon.

The Sandy Lake First Nation speaks the Oji-Cree language and uses a variant western Ojibwe Syllabics.