The Lake of the Woods region spans portions of Eastern Manitoba, Northwestern Minnesota and Northwestern Ontario.
The largest populated place on Lake of the Woods is Kenora, Ontario (pop. 15000) on the Trans-Canada Highway mainline north of the lake.
On the south shore, Minnesota "mainland" points include Warroad (near Sprague, Manitoba) and Baudette (near Rainy River, Ontario).
There is one isolated community, Angle Inlet, on the west side of the lake. The Northwest Angle is in Minnesota, but the only overland access is through Manitoba. The area is popular among recreational anglers.