Bass Lake

Kalkaska County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

42ft Max
depth

48 acres 9 contours

Paddling Index73GoodMedium confidencehigh-speed boating prohibited in zones · sheltered geometry · away from major roads

Get directions

Depth scale

051015202530324042

The lake

Survey readout

Bass Lake is mapped to a depth of 42 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 48 acres in Kalkaska County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 42 ft
Mean depth: 9.8 ft · estimated
Surface area: 48 acres
Estimated volume: 469 acre-ft · 153M gal
Shoreline: 1.71 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 7% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: No public DNR launch identified

Additional depth details9 contours

Contour depths: 0–42 ft
Recorded point soundings: 42 ft

65.8% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 19.7% is deeper than 20 ft; the survey shows 2 distinct basins. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

Compare with another lake

Location

Kalkaska County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 50 lakes · tap a dot for that lake

Chart data

Provenance

Sources: MI DNR inland lake contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MI DNR Boat Launches.

⚠ Not for navigation

Spot an error? Send a correction

Map details & sources5 sources

All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.

Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Colour shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates: 44.80277, -84.88501
MI DNR lake ID: L1973
Vertical exaggeration: 2.25×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.1 MB

Watercraft rules

county-enforced local controls · MI DNR

High-speed boating prohibiteddesignated zones

Official rule details1 rule

High-speed boating prohibited“High-speed boating and water skiing prohibited”

Where the mapped control areas and the official regulation language differ, the language governs. Official county watercraft controls.

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21

73 / 100GoodData confidence: Medium

Bass Lake has a partly natural setting, well sheltered geometry, limited nearby major-road exposure. Watercraft controls: High-speed boating prohibited in zones.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Good	19.9 of 35	66% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (60% forest, 3% wetland; 27% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	29.4 of 29	mean fetch 394 m · 86% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controls	High-speed boating prohibited in zones	10.9 of 18	High-speed boating prohibited — designated zones only
Public access	Not listed	—	No DNR-listed access site. Township, county and road-end launches are not in this source, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized.
Road isolation	Very Good	12.5 of 18	limited nearby major-road exposure · 16 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 1,203 vehicles/day

Additional paddling considerations

These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.

Wake sensitivity: Moderate — narrow in places — wakes would carry across parts of the lake
Aquatic vegetation: Low — approximately 7% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
Observed motorized activity: Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
Wildlife habitat potential: Moderate — 60% forest and 3% wetland cover within 150 m of shore

Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →

How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public environmental, access, roadway and watercraft-control data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights: natural setting 30%, geometric wind exposure 25%, watercraft controls 15%, public access 15%, road isolation 15%; observed motorboat activity is weighted 0% because no defensible lake-level measurement exists. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Sources: MI DNR Watercraft Control Areas (2026-08), USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021), MDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (2025) and MI DNR bathymetric survey outline (0 ft isobath). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Non-native species records

No non-native species recorded in the available dataset. This does not confirm that no non-native species are present.

Source: Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Conservation Planner; underlying nonindigenous species records from the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance

Water's Edge Gas Party Store≈7.1 mi7417 County Rd 612 NE, Kalkaske · Google · Apple

PKG Party Store LLC≈11 mi · (231) 587-9424311 N Williams St, Mancelona · Google · Apple

Skip's Sport Shop≈12.7 mi5765 M-72 W, Grayling · Google · Apple

Dealers licensed by the Michigan DNR to sell live bait; listing is not an endorsement. Distances are straight-line, not driving — and call ahead: hours and stock change. Source: Michigan DNR retail bait dealer data.

Quick answers

Bass Lake — common questions

How deep is Bass Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Bass Lake is 42 ft. That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.

How big is Bass Lake?

Bass Lake covers about 48 acres in Kalkaska County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Bass Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Bass Lake is 9.8 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

Is there public access to Bass Lake?

No public launch for Bass Lake appears in the Michigan DNR access data. That is not the same as the lake being private -- municipal and private ramps are not in that source.

More lakes in Kalkaska County