West Branch Lake

Alger County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

20ft Max
depth

136 acres 4 contours

Paddling Index76GoodMedium confidencewooded shoreline · away from major roads · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

05101520

The lake

Survey readout

West Branch Lake is mapped to a depth of 20 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 136 acres in Alger County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 20 ft
Mean depth: 7.9 ft · estimated
Surface area: 136 acres
Estimated volume: 1,073 acre-ft · 350M gal
Shoreline: 3.09 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 13% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: No public DNR launch identified

Additional depth details4 contours

Contour depths: 0–20 ft
Recorded point soundings: 20 ft

61.7% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; the survey shows 2 distinct basins. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Alger County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 105 lakes and 1 bay · 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: 46.16559, -86.73485
MI DNR lake ID: L32618
Vertical exaggeration: 3.0×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.6 MB

Paddling

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

76 / 100GoodData confidence: Medium

West Branch Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, generally 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	Excellent	31.1 of 35	86% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (32% forest, 53% wetland; 10% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	22.0 of 29	mean fetch 748 m · 5% 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	Very Good	13.9 of 18	limited nearby major-road exposure · 5 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 158 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 13% 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 — 32% forest and 53% 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

Midway General Store≈5 mi · (906) 573-2450N251 Federal Forest Hwy 13, Wetmore · 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

West Branch Lake — common questions

How deep is West Branch Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of West Branch Lake is 20 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 West Branch Lake?

West Branch Lake covers about 136 acres in Alger County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of West Branch Lake?

The estimated mean depth of West Branch Lake is 7.9 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

Is there public access to West Branch Lake?

No public launch for West Branch 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 Alger County