Railroad Lake
depth
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Railroad Lake is mapped to a depth of 52 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 52 acres in Iron County, Michigan.
Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.
- Deepest sounding
- 52 ft
- Mean depth
- 17.5 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 52 acres
- Estimated volume
- 916 acre-ft · 298M gal
- Shoreline
- 1.66 mi · irregular
- Aquatic vegetation
- 23% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details11 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–52 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 52 ft, 30 ft
29.7% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 37.5% is deeper than 20 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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.
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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
- 46.06874, -88.33150
- MI DNR lake ID
- L45206
- Vertical exaggeration
- 1.91×
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 2.3 MB
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21Railroad Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped 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 | Excellent | 32.8 of 35 | 90% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (57% forest, 31% wetland; 2% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Very Good | 24.5 of 29 | mean fetch 624 m · 18% 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 | 8.2 of 18 | some nearby classified roads · 6 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 2,930 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
- Moderate — approximately 23% 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 — 57% forest and 31% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →
Fish you might catch
from active stockingNo recent catch, survey, or stocking data for this lake.
Historically stocked, no recent evidence: Walleye (last planted 1990) — not shown above.
Fishing rules for this lake Beta
Rules that apply to this water, whatever you are fishing for.
These are hook-and-line size, daily limit and season rules. Gear, spearing and bow fishing, spawning closures and rod limits are set by other Fisheries Orders and are not shown here.
Official rule text for this lake
“no size limit on Northern Pike and up to five (5) Northern Pike may be retained in the daily possession limit with only one (1) 24-inches or greater. (Dawson Lake water shall expire on September 15, 2028).” — FO-206
From FO-206.26 (eff. 2026-04-01) / FO-215.23A (eff. 2023-09-15) / FO-254.25 (eff. 2025-10-10), checked against the 2026 Michigan Fishing Regulations digest · verified 2026-08-24. Regulations can change — Michigan DNR rules are the controlling source; verify current regulations before fishing. Official regulations
DNR stocking
state stocking record · 1990–1990Fish the Michigan DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.
No stockings recorded since 1990 — shown as history.
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 distanceRailroad Lake — common questions
How deep is Railroad Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Railroad Lake is 52 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 Railroad Lake?
Railroad Lake covers about 52 acres in Iron County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Railroad Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Railroad Lake is 17.5 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
Is there public access to Railroad Lake?
No public launch for Railroad 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.
