Crawford Lake

Kalkaska County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

8ft Max
depth

162 acres 4 contours Public access

Paddling Index56MixedMedium confidenceaway from major roads · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

02468

The lake

Survey readout

Crawford Lake is mapped to a depth of 8 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 162 acres in Kalkaska County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 8 ft
Mean depth: 4.3 ft · estimated
Surface area: 162 acres
Estimated volume: 700 acre-ft · 228M gal
Shoreline: 2.58 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation: 6% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details4 contours

Contour depths: 0–8 ft
Recorded point soundings: 8 ft

100% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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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

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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: 44.72675, -85.07958
MI DNR lake ID: L7826
Vertical exaggeration: 12.0× below the waterline; land at true scale
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.2 MB

Paddling

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

56 / 100MixedData confidence: Medium

Crawford Lake has a partly natural setting, generally sheltered geometry, limited nearby major-road exposure. 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	Good	16.3 of 35	58% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (12% forest, 36% wetland; 32% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	18.9 of 29	mean fetch 956 m · 2% 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	Very Good	11.5 of 18	limited nearby major-road exposure · 15 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 5,785 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: Low — approximately 6% 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 — 12% forest and 36% 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≈4.1 mi7417 County Rd 612 NE, Kalkaske · Google · Apple

Jack's Sport Shop≈4.8 mi212 S Cedar St, Kalkaska · Google · Apple

PKG Party Store LLC≈12.4 mi · (231) 587-9424311 N Williams St, Mancelona · 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

Crawford Lake — common questions

How deep is Crawford Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Crawford Lake is 8 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 Crawford Lake?

Crawford Lake covers about 162 acres in Kalkaska County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Crawford Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Crawford Lake is 4.3 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

Is there public access to Crawford Lake?

Yes. The Michigan DNR boat-launch data identifies 1 public access site on Crawford Lake, including Crawford Lake.