Brown Bridge Pond

Grand Traverse County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

29ft Max
depth

181 acres 7 contours 83% weedy

Paddling Index68MixedMedium confidencewooded shoreline · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

05101215172029

The lake

Survey readout

Brown Bridge Pond is mapped to a depth of 29 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 181 acres in Grand Traverse County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey (depths read from the survey's isobath field; this lake's summary-depth column is blank in the source).

Deepest sounding: 29 ft
Mean depth: 11.5 ft · estimated
Surface area: 181 acres
Estimated volume: 2,085 acre-ft · 679M gal
Shoreline: 3.44 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 83% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: No public DNR launch identified

Additional depth details7 contours

Contour depths: 0–29 ft
Recorded point soundings: 29 ft, 17 ft, 12 ft

40.5% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 17.9% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Grand Traverse County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 37 lakes and 1 bay · 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

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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: 44.64773, -85.50020
MI DNR lake ID: L21521
Vertical exaggeration: 2.69×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.4 MB

Paddling

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

68 / 100MixedData confidence: Medium

Brown Bridge Pond has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, generally sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume roads. No special watercraft restriction is identified in the current source.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Excellent	34.4 of 35	94% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (44% forest, 49% wetland; 2% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	17.1 of 29	mean fetch 1,122 m · 6% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Watercraft controls	None identified	8.8 of 18	No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
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	Mixed	7.4 of 18	nearby higher-volume roads · 18 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 10,316 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: Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
Aquatic vegetation: High — approximately 83% 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: High — 44% forest and 49% 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

2 records

Plants & algae

Purple Loosestrife
Reed Canarygrass

What does non-native mean?

USGS records identify non-native species that have been documented for this lake or its shoreline. Non-native does not necessarily mean invasive, and historical records do not confirm current presence.

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

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

⛻ Campground≈1.5 mi · 2 mapped

🚿 Restrooms / vault toileton the lake · 2 mapped

From OpenStreetMap community mapping — shown only where something is mapped; an amenity missing here may still exist. Distances are straight-line. Verify before you rely on it. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance

TC Bait Tackle & More≈8.6 mi · (231) 252-3088809 S Garfield Ave, Traverse City · Google · Apple

Stoberlin LLC≈9 mi · (231) 879-3341228 E State, Fife Lake · Google · Apple

Sportsman's Warehouse≈9.3 mi3500 Marketplace Circle Suite B, Traverse City · 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

Brown Bridge Pond — common questions

How deep is Brown Bridge Pond?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Brown Bridge Pond is 29 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 Brown Bridge Pond?

Brown Bridge Pond covers about 181 acres in Grand Traverse County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Brown Bridge Pond?

The estimated mean depth of Brown Bridge Pond is 11.5 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

Is there public access to Brown Bridge Pond?

No public launch for Brown Bridge Pond 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 Grand Traverse County