Goose Lake

Washington County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey

25ft Max
depth

74 acres 5 contours Public access

Paddling Index66Mixedsheltered geometry

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Depth scale

0510152025

The lake

Survey readout

Goose Lake is mapped to a depth of 25 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 74 acres in Washington County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1959.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 25 ft
Survey year: 1959
Surface area: 74 acres
Shoreline: 2.8 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 0% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Trailer Launch · Goose Lake Public Water Access Site · Minnesota DNR site

Additional depth details5 contours

Contour depths: 0–25 ft
Recorded point soundings: 25 ft

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Location

Washington County, Minnesota · 15 nearest of 35 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: 45.26754, -92.80999
MN DNR lake ID: 82005900
Vertical exaggeration: 2.83×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.3 MB

Paddling

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

66 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Goose Lake has a partly natural setting, well sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume roads.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Good	17.7 of 35	53% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (44% forest, 9% wetland; 10% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	26.9 of 29	mean fetch 536 m · 35% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most 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	Good	15.0 of 18	1 DNR public access site · boat ramp
Road isolation	Mixed	6.7 of 18	nearby higher-volume roads · 9 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 5,639 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 0% 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: Moderate — 44% forest and 9% 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 2022–2025). 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).

Hybrid Sunfish

Golden Shiner

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 2016

428Fish sampled

8Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 210 · Northern Pike 25

Panfish Bluegill 146 · Black Crappie 26 · Yellow Perch 7

All survey species8 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass210 caught · to 21″

Northern Pike25 caught · to 42″

Panfish

Bluegill146 caught · to 9″

Black Crappie26 caught · to 11″

Yellow Perch7 caught · to 6″

Hybrid Sunfish2 caught · to 8″

Pumpkinseed2 caught · to 6″

Forage & nongame

Golden Shiner10 caught · to 8″

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

Infested waters listing

1 confirmed

Plants & algae

Eurasian WatermilfoilConfirmed in this water in 2018 (listed 2018).

How to identify invasive species in Minnesota lakes →

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

Goose Lake — common questions

How deep is Goose Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Goose Lake is 25 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 Goose Lake?

Goose Lake covers about 74 acres in Washington County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Goose Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, pumpkinseed. The page lists all 8 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Goose Lake?

Yes. The Minnesota DNR lists a public access site on Goose Lake: a boat ramp with a boat dock and restrooms. It is administered by City of Scandia. DNR directions: "0.5 miles N of Hwy 97, on Oakhill Rd, N on Oldfield Ave N, on the SW shore."

More lakes in Washington County