Minnesota Lake Depths
NESW

Burgen Lake

Douglas County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey
40ft Max
depth
174 acres 8 contours Public access
Paddling Index52Modestsheltered geometry
Get directions

Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Burgen Lake is mapped to a depth of 40 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 174 acres in Douglas County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1956.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
40 ft
Survey year
1956
Surface area
174 acres
Shoreline
2.67 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation
1% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
Trailer Launch · Burgen Lake Public Water Access Site · Minnesota DNR site
Additional depth details8 contours
Contour depths
0–40 ft
Recorded point soundings
40 ft
Compare with another lake
Chart data

Provenance

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

⚠ Not for navigation

Spot an error? Send a correction

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
45.84873, -95.34388
MN DNR lake ID
21004900
Vertical exaggeration
2.32×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.2 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-25
52 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Burgen Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume roads.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingMixed12.2 of 3547% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (40% forest, 7% wetland; 28% developed)
Geometric wind exposureVery Good18.3 of 29mean fetch 1,004 m · 1% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Motor & speed rulesNot 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 accessGood15.0 of 181 DNR public access site · boat ramp
Road isolationMixed6.0 of 18nearby higher-volume roads · 13 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 18,399 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 1% 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
Limited — 40% forest and 7% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
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 2018–2025). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys & active stocking

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

Compiled from Minnesota DNR fishery surveys and Minnesota DNR stockings within the last 10 years. 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 2025
719Fish sampled
15Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 191 · Northern Pike 46 · Walleye 4 · Smallmouth Bass 2

Panfish Bluegill 321 · Hybrid Sunfish 43 · Yellow Perch 29

All survey species15 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass191 caught · to 18″
Northern Pike46 caught · to 35″
Walleye4 caught · to 21″
Smallmouth Bass2 caught · to 15″

Panfish

Bluegill321 caught · to 8″
Hybrid Sunfish43 caught · to 8″
Yellow Perch29 caught · to 8″
Rock Bass20 caught · to 9″
Pumpkinseed16 caught · to 7″
Black Crappie1 caught · to 7″

Bullhead & catfish

Yellow Bullhead36 caught · to 13″
Brown Bullhead2 caught · to 14″
Black Bullhead1 caught · to 11″

Forage & nongame

White Sucker6 caught · to 19″
Common Carp1 caught · to 24″
Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Minnesota DNR lake survey (LakeFinder).

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 2016–2025

Fish the Minnesota DNR has planted in this lake — what was added, distinct from what a survey netted above.

Walleye8,233 stocked · 2016–2025 · 15 plantings
Source: Minnesota DNR LakeFinder stocking report. LakeFinder lists the last 10 years of stocking only.

Infested waters listing

1 confirmed

Mussels & snails

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

Burgen Lake — common questions

How deep is Burgen Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Burgen Lake is 40 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 Burgen Lake?

Burgen Lake covers about 174 acres in Douglas County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Burgen Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, smallmouth bass, walleye, black bullhead, black crappie. The page lists all 15 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Burgen Lake?

Yes. The Minnesota DNR lists a public access site on Burgen Lake: a boat ramp with a boat dock. It is administered by the DNR Division of Parks and Trails. DNR directions: "1 mi SE of Alexandria on Cnty Rd 23 then S .5 mi on Cnty Rd 81."