Big Basswood Lake

Becker County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey

5ft Max
depth

592 acres 1 contour Public access

Paddling Index80Very Goodaway from major roads · wooded shoreline · carry-in access

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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Big Basswood Lake is mapped to a depth of 5 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 592 acres in Becker County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1961.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 5 ft
Survey year: 1961
Surface area: 592 acres
Shoreline: 5 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation: 13% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Carry-In · Big Basswood Lake Public Water Access Site · Minnesota DNR site

Additional depth details1 contour

Contour depths: 0–5 ft
Recorded point soundings: 5 ft

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Location

Becker County, Minnesota · 15 nearest of 85 lakes · tap a dot for that lake

Chart data

Provenance

Sources: MN DNR Lake Bathymetric Contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

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Map details & sources4 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. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates: 47.07509, -95.33657
MN DNR lake ID: 03009600
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.2 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-25

80 / 100Very GoodData confidence: High

Big Basswood Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, moderate open-water exposure, little nearby major-road exposure.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Excellent	31.7 of 35	89% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (50% forest, 38% wetland; 9% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Good	12.8 of 29	mean fetch 1,579 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water fetch
Motor & speed rules	Not modeled	—	Minnesota’s lake-by-lake motor, speed and no-wake rules are mostly county and city ordinances, not map data, so they are not part of the Minnesota index. Check local signage and ordinances before going out.
Public access	Excellent	17.6 of 18	1 DNR public access site · carry-in or canoe launch
Road isolation	Excellent	17.6 of 18	relatively isolated from major roads · 0 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km

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 — 50% forest and 38% wetland cover within 150 m of shore

Compare Minnesota lakes by Paddling Index →

How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public land-cover, access and traffic-count 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 for Minnesota lakes: natural setting 35%, geometric wind exposure 29%, public access 18%, road isolation 18%. Motor, speed and no-wake rules are not modeled for Minnesota, and traffic counts cover state, county and some city roads but not township roads. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Minnesota scores are relative to other Minnesota lakes and are not directly comparable with Paddling Index scores on our sister sites, which use different data sources, some with a watercraft-rules component. Sources: MN DNR lake bathymetry outline, USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021), MN DNR Water Access Sites and Fishing Piers & Shore Fishing Sites (2026-09) and MnDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (current). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Infested waters listing

Not on the Minnesota DNR’s infested waters list as of September 9, 2026. This does not mean the lake is free of invasive species: the list covers certain species only, and a species can be present before anyone finds it.

What does the infested waters list mean?

The Minnesota DNR lists a lake, river, pond or wetland as infested when it contains an aquatic invasive species that could spread to other waters, or when it is connected to a water where one is present. Activities such as bait harvest and water use are managed differently on infested waters. Check the current list before moving water, bait or equipment.

Source: Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. List of Infested Waters, September 9, 2026. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/invasives/ais/infested.html

Quick answers

Big Basswood Lake — common questions

How deep is Big Basswood Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Big Basswood Lake is 5 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 Big Basswood Lake?

Big Basswood Lake covers about 592 acres in Becker County, Minnesota.

Is there public access to Big Basswood Lake?

Yes. The Minnesota DNR lists a public access site on Big Basswood Lake: a carry-in launch. It is administered by Becker County. DNR directions: "7 miles northeast of Ponsford, 3.5 miles off County Road 44, on the north shore of Basswood Lake."

More lakes in Becker County