Sugarbush Lake
depth
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Sugarbush Lake is mapped to a depth of 93 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 29 acres in Barry County, Michigan.
Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.
- Deepest mapped contour
- 93 ft
- Mean depth
- 35.1 ft · estimated
- Surface area
- 29 acres
- Estimated volume
- 1,022 acre-ft · 333M gal
- Shoreline
- 0.79 mi · round
- Aquatic vegetation
- 3% of surface · NDVI estimate
- Public access
- No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details12 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–93 ft
- Recorded point soundings
- 93 ft
10.6% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 65.7% 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 Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.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
- 42.74170, -85.34596
- MI DNR lake ID
- L15228
- Vertical exaggeration
- 1.4×
- Basemap
- USDA NAIP · public domain
- Model size
- 1.4 MB
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21Sugarbush Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, well sheltered geometry, limited 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 | Very Good | 25.0 of 35 | 74% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (57% forest, 17% wetland; 10% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Excellent | 29.4 of 29 | mean fetch 350 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 | Very Good | 11.9 of 18 | limited nearby major-road exposure · 4 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 488 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 3% 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
- Moderate — 57% forest and 17% 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: Rainbow Trout (last planted 2013) — not shown above.
DNR stocking
state stocking record · 1979–2013Fish the Michigan DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.
No stockings recorded since 2013 — 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 distanceSugarbush Lake — common questions
How deep is Sugarbush Lake?
The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Sugarbush Lake is 93 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 Sugarbush Lake?
Sugarbush Lake covers about 29 acres in Barry County, Michigan.
What is the average depth of Sugarbush Lake?
The estimated mean depth of Sugarbush Lake is 35.1 ft, calculated from the survey contours.
Is there public access to Sugarbush Lake?
No public launch for Sugarbush 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.
