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North Lake

Menominee County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey
4ft Max
depth
271 acres 2 contours Public access 37% weedy
Paddling Index77Goodaway from major roads · wooded shoreline · carry-in access
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

North Lake is mapped to a depth of 4 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 271 acres in Menominee County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest sounding
4 ft
Mean depth
2.8 ft · estimated
Surface area
271 acres
Estimated volume
765 acre-ft · 249M gal
Shoreline
3.82 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation
37% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
Boat Launch
Additional depth details2 contours
Contour depths
0–4 ft
Recorded point soundings
4 ft, 4 ft, 4 ft, 4 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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
Menominee County, Michigan · all 7 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.

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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
45.39102, -87.48443
MI DNR lake ID
L46057
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.2 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21
77 / 100GoodData confidence: High

North Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, moderate open-water exposure, little nearby major-road exposure. No special watercraft restriction is identified in the current source.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingExcellent30.0 of 3097% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (0% forest, 97% wetland; 0% developed)
Geometric wind exposureGood12.2 of 25mean fetch 1,385 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch
Watercraft controlsNone identified7.5 of 15No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
Public accessExcellent15.0 of 151 site with DNR boating-facility records · carry-in launch
Road isolationExcellent12.1 of 15relatively isolated from major roads · 5 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 952 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 37% 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 — 0% forest and 97% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
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 Boating Access Sites (2026-08), 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.

Quick answers

North Lake — common questions

How deep is North Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of North Lake is 4 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 North Lake?

North Lake covers about 271 acres in Menominee County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of North Lake?

The estimated mean depth of North Lake is 2.8 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

Is there public access to North Lake?

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