Little Joe Lake

Montmorency County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

39ft Max
depth

12 acres 7 contours

Paddling Index88Very GoodMedium confidenceaway from major roads · sheltered geometry · wooded shoreline

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Depth scale

05101520253039

The lake

Survey readout

Little Joe Lake is mapped to a depth of 39 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 12 acres in Montmorency County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding: 39 ft
Mean depth: 12 ft · estimated
Surface area: 12 acres
Estimated volume: 148 acre-ft · 48M gal
Shoreline: 0.58 mi · round
Aquatic vegetation: 2% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: No public DNR launch identified

Additional depth details7 contours

Contour depths: 0–39 ft
Recorded point soundings: 39 ft

50% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 24.6% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Montmorency County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 35 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: 45.19331, -84.22325
MI DNR lake ID: L5851
Vertical exaggeration: 2.35×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 0.6 MB

Paddling

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

88 / 100Very GoodData confidence: Medium

Little Joe Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, well sheltered geometry, little 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	Excellent	31.6 of 35	90% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (74% forest, 13% wetland; 6% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	29.4 of 29	mean fetch 255 m · 100% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
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	Excellent	17.6 of 18	relatively isolated from major roads · 1 MDOT-classified segment within 1.2 km, peak 59 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 2% 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 — 74% forest and 13% 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.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

⛻ Campground≈0.4 mi

🚿 Restrooms / vault toilet≈0.5 mi

🎢 Playground≈0.5 mi

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

Black River Party Store≈11.4 mi · (989) 733-24809720 M-68/33 Hwy, Onaway · Google · Apple

Atlanta Hardware≈13.6 mi12374 State St, Atlanta · 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

Little Joe Lake — common questions

How deep is Little Joe Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Little Joe Lake is 39 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 Little Joe Lake?

Little Joe Lake covers about 12 acres in Montmorency County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Little Joe Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Little Joe Lake is 12 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

Is there public access to Little Joe Lake?

No public launch for Little Joe 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 Montmorency County