Birch Lake

St. Louis County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey

30ft Max
depth

6,908 acres 4 contours Public access

Paddling Index61Mixedwooded shoreline · carry-in access

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Depth scale

010152030

The lake

Survey readout

Birch Lake is mapped to a depth of 30 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 6,908 acres in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1954.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 30 ft
Survey year: 1954
Surface area: 6,908 acres
Shoreline: 90.12 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 2% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Trailer Launch · Birch Lake (NE) Public Water Access Site · Minnesota DNR site · 4 more

Additional depth details4 contours

Contour depths: 0–30 ft
Recorded point soundings: 30 ft

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Location

St. Louis County, Minnesota · 15 nearest of 147 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: 47.76547, -91.76606
MN DNR lake ID: 69000300
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.3 MB

Paddling

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

61 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Birch Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, notable open-water exposure, nearby higher-volume roads.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Excellent	31.0 of 35	88% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (66% forest, 19% wetland; 4% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Mixed	5.9 of 29	mean fetch 2,775 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · long fetch in some directions
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	5 DNR public access sites · carry-in or canoe launch · boat ramp · fishing pier
Road isolation	Mixed	6.0 of 18	nearby higher-volume roads · 13 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 1,657 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 2% 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 — 66% forest and 19% 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 (counts 2010–2025). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys

8 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colors, not photographs (provenance).

White Sucker

About these fish → the Fish of Minnesota guide

Compiled from Minnesota DNR fishery surveys. Silhouettes are stylized and scaled to typical adult sizes relative to one another. Presence is not a promise — fishing isn’t a sure thing.

Fishery

surveyed 2012

338Fish sampled

8Species

Gamefish Walleye 107 · Northern Pike 20

Panfish Yellow Perch 36 · Black Crappie 12 · Rock Bass 3

All survey species8 species

Gamefish

Walleye107 caught · to 29″

Northern Pike20 caught · to 39″

Panfish

Yellow Perch36 caught · to 10″

Black Crappie12 caught · to 11″

Rock Bass3 caught · to 9″

Bluegill1 caught · to 9″

Forage & nongame

Cisco105 caught · to 16″

White Sucker54 caught · to 18″

Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Minnesota DNR lake survey (LakeFinder).

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

Birch Lake — common questions

How deep is Birch Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Birch Lake is 30 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 Birch Lake?

Birch Lake covers about 6,908 acres in St. Louis County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Birch Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include northern pike, walleye, black crappie, bluegill, rock bass, yellow perch. The page lists all 8 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Birch Lake?

Yes. The Minnesota DNR lists 5 public access sites on Birch Lake: Birch Lake (NE) Public Water Access Site (boat ramp); Birch Lake (S) Public Water Access Site (boat ramp); Birch Lake (W) Public Water Access Site (boat ramp); Birch Lake, Hwy 1 Public Water Access Site (carry-in launch) and 1 more.