Dunbar Lake

Itasca County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey

30ft Max
depth

268 acres 6 contours Public access

Paddling Index85Very Goodaway from major roads · wooded shoreline · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

051015202530

The lake

Survey readout

Dunbar Lake is mapped to a depth of 30 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 268 acres in Itasca County, Minnesota.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 30 ft
Surface area: 268 acres
Shoreline: 5.08 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 12% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Carry-In · Dunbar Lake Public Water Access Site · Minnesota DNR site

Additional depth details6 contours

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

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Location

Itasca County, Minnesota · 15 nearest of 159 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: 47.64159, -94.24078
MN DNR lake ID: 31090400
Vertical exaggeration: 2.66×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.5 MB

Paddling

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

85 / 100Very GoodData confidence: High

Dunbar Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, generally sheltered geometry, little nearby major-road exposure.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Excellent	33.2 of 35	93% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (62% forest, 27% wetland; 5% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	16.7 of 29	mean fetch 1,149 m · 3% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short 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 · 2 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 155 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 12% 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 — 62% forest and 27% 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 2017–2024). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys

14 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

Golden Shiner

Central Mudminnow

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 2011

298Fish sampled

14Species

Gamefish Northern Pike 34 · Bowfin 16 · Largemouth Bass 11 · Walleye 11

Panfish Yellow Perch 70 · Black Crappie 66 · Bluegill 38

All survey species14 species

Gamefish

Northern Pike34 caught · to 31″

Bowfin16 caught · to 25″

Largemouth Bass11 caught

Walleye11 caught · to 25″

Panfish

Yellow Perch70 caught · to 12″

Black Crappie66 caught · to 12″

Bluegill38 caught · to 9″

Pumpkinseed7 caught · to 5″

Rock Bass4 caught · to 9″

Bullhead & catfish

Brown Bullhead26 caught · to 13″

Yellow Bullhead6 caught · to 12″

Forage & nongame

Central Mudminnow5 caught

White Sucker3 caught · to 19″

Golden Shiner1 caught

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

Dunbar Lake — common questions

How deep is Dunbar Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Dunbar 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 Dunbar Lake?

Dunbar Lake covers about 268 acres in Itasca County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Dunbar Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, black crappie, bluegill, bowfin. The page lists all 14 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Dunbar Lake?

Yes. The Minnesota DNR lists a public access site on Dunbar Lake: a carry-in launch with a boat dock. It is administered by Itasca County. DNR directions: "5 miles west of the city of Squaw Lake, on CSAH 32, on the southwest shore of Dunbar Lake."

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