Moss Lake

Delta County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

5ft Max
depth

1,196 acres 1 contour

Paddling Index54ModestMedium confidencewooded shoreline

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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Moss Lake is mapped to a depth of 5 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 1,196 acres in Delta County, Michigan. Coverage is sparse: about 98% of this lake lies well away from any surveyed contour, so most of the shape shown there is interpolated between distant measurements rather than mapped.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 5 ft
Mean depth: 0.9 ft · estimated
Surface area: 1,196 acres
Estimated volume: 1,019 acre-ft · 332M gal
Shoreline: 6.33 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation: 9% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: No public DNR launch identified

Additional depth details1 contour

Contour depths: 0–5 ft
Recorded point soundings: 5 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Delta County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 50 lakes and 2 bays · 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.

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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: 45.90226, -86.65390
MI DNR lake ID: L40111
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.2 MB

Paddling

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

54 / 100ModestData confidence: Medium

Moss Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, notable open-water exposure, 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	30.3 of 35	82% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (11% forest, 70% wetland; 5% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Mixed	8.4 of 29	mean fetch 2,250 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · long fetch in some 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	Mixed	6.7 of 18	nearby higher-volume roads · 8 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 4,521 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 9% 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 — 11% forest and 70% 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.

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance

Linda's Bread Box≈12.5 mi10N State Hwy 149, Cooks · 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

Moss Lake — common questions

How deep is Moss Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Moss Lake is 5 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 Moss Lake?

Moss Lake covers about 1,196 acres in Delta County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Moss Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Moss Lake is 0.9 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

Is there public access to Moss Lake?

No public launch for Moss 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 Delta County