Mud Lake

Houghton County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

11ft Max
depth

169 acres 6 contours Public access

Paddling Index73GoodMedium confidenceaway from major roads · wooded shoreline · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

056791011

The lake

Survey readout

Mud Lake is mapped to a depth of 11 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 169 acres in Houghton County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 11 ft
Mean depth: 5.9 ft · estimated
Surface area: 169 acres
Estimated volume: 1,005 acre-ft · 328M gal
Shoreline: 3.5 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 11% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Launch

Additional depth details6 contours

Contour depths: 0–11 ft
Recorded point soundings: 11 ft

93.2% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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

Houghton County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 32 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: 47.12954, -88.31674
MI DNR lake ID: L32843
Vertical exaggeration: 3.0×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.6 MB

Paddling

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

73 / 100GoodData confidence: Medium

Mud Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, generally 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	31.4 of 35	88% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (48% forest, 40% wetland; 9% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	17.1 of 29	mean fetch 1,100 m · 0% 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	Excellent	15.6 of 18	relatively isolated from major roads · 3 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 113 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 11% 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 — 48% forest and 40% 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

Campioni's True Value≈9.3 mi25664 Copper King Way, Calumet · Google · Apple

The Bait Shack≈12 mi42233 Wilson Memorial Dr., Chassell · Google · Apple

Freeman Guns≈12.4 mi120 Quincy St, Handcock · 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

Mud Lake — common questions

How deep is Mud Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Mud Lake is 11 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 Mud Lake?

Mud Lake covers about 169 acres in Houghton County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Mud Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Mud Lake is 5.9 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

Is there public access to Mud Lake?

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