Island Lake
depth
Get directions
Depth scale
Survey readout
Island Lake is mapped to a depth of 19 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 92 acres in Washtenaw County, Michigan.
Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.
- Deepest sounding
- 19 ft
- Mean depth
- 5.9 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 92 acres
- Estimated volume
- 542 acre-ft · 176M gal
- Shoreline
- 2.06 mi · irregular
- Aquatic vegetation
- 39% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Trophic state
- Mesotrophic · satellite estimate · details
- Public access
- No DNR launch listed · check with Pinckney Recreation Area
- Borders
- Pinckney Recreation Area · Michigan DNR · 64% of shoreline
Additional depth details7 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–19 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 19 ft, 17 ft, 16 ft, 16 ft, 8 ft
75.3% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.
Compare with another lakeProvenance
Sources: MI DNR inland lake contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MI DNR Boat Launches.
⚠ Not for navigationSpot 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. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.
- Coordinates
- 42.37431, -84.04579
- MI DNR lake ID
- L14372
- Vertical exaggeration
- 3.0× below the waterline; land at true scale
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.3 MB
Lake productivity & trophic state
Satellite estimateSatellite-estimated classification: Mesotrophic. Moderate nutrient levels and biological productivity. Based on satellite estimates of summer chlorophyll-a (LAGOS-US LANDSAT, 2020). No lake-specific measurement is available in this dataset.
Trophic state describes how biologically productive a lake is, based on indicators such as nutrients, algae and water clarity. It is not a swimming-safety or overall water-quality rating.
What do the categories mean?
- Oligotrophic≤ 2 µg/L · lower nutrient and algae levels, often clearer water and lower biological productivity.
- Mesotrophic · this lake2–7 µg/L · moderate nutrient levels and biological productivity.
- Eutrophic7–30 µg/L · higher nutrient levels and biological productivity, often with more algae or aquatic plant growth.
- Hypereutrophic> 30 µg/L · very high nutrient levels and biological productivity, with a greater potential for heavy algae growth and low water clarity.
Bands are summer (June–August) mean chlorophyll-a, the green pigment in algae, at the EPA 2012 National Lakes Assessment thresholds. Trophic condition can change over time and by measurement method. Source: Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Conservation Planner; satellite chlorophyll-a estimates from LAGOS-US LANDSAT.
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-23Island Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, some nearby classified 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 | Very Good | 26.9 of 35 | 80% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (54% forest, 24% wetland; 17% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Very Good | 23.4 of 29 | mean fetch 662 m · 4% 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 | Good | 8.7 of 18 | some nearby classified roads · 8 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 1,509 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 39% 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 — 54% forest and 24% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
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.
At the lake
community-mapped amenities · straight-line distanceBait & tackle nearby
licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distanceIsland Lake — common questions
How deep is Island Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Island Lake is 19 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 Island Lake?
Island Lake covers about 92 acres in Washtenaw County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Island Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Island Lake is 5.9 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
Is there public access to Island Lake?
No public launch for Island Lake appears in the Michigan DNR access data, but Island Lake has 64% of its shoreline in Pinckney Recreation Area (Michigan DNR), which runs its own facilities and is not covered by that data. Check with the park for launch details.
