Greenwood Lake

Cook County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey

100ft Max
depth

2,041 acres 12 contours Public access

Paddling Index73Goodaway from major roads · wooded shoreline

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Depth scale

051530507090100

The lake

Survey readout

Greenwood Lake is mapped to a depth of 100 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 2,041 acres in Cook County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1987.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 100 ft
Survey year: 1987
Surface area: 2,041 acres
Shoreline: 18.99 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 1% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Trailer Launch · Greenwood Lake Public Water Access Site · Minnesota DNR site

Additional depth details12 contours

Contour depths: 0–100 ft
Recorded point soundings: 100 ft

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Location

Cook County, Minnesota · 15 nearest of 37 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: 47.99901, -90.18097
MN DNR lake ID: 16007700
Vertical exaggeration: 1.4×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.6 MB

Paddling

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

73 / 100GoodData confidence: High

Greenwood Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, notable 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	32.5 of 35	92% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (78% forest, 13% wetland; 2% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Mixed	7.6 of 29	mean fetch 2,414 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	Good	15.0 of 18	1 DNR public access site · boat ramp
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 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: High — 78% forest and 13% 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.

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 2022

212Fish sampled

8Species

Gamefish Lake Trout 34 · Smallmouth Bass 12 · Northern Pike 1

Panfish Yellow Perch 13 · Green Sunfish 1

All survey species8 species

Gamefish

Lake Trout34 caught · to 28″

Smallmouth Bass12 caught · to 13″

Northern Pike1 caught · to 14″

Panfish

Yellow Perch13 caught · to 12″

Green Sunfish1 caught · to 5″

Forage & nongame

Cisco148 caught · to 17″

White Sucker2 caught · to 21″

Lake Whitefish1 caught · to 19″

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

Infested waters listing

1 confirmed

Other invertebrates

Spiny WaterfleaConfirmed in this water in 2004 (listed 2005).

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

Greenwood Lake — common questions

How deep is Greenwood Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Greenwood Lake is 100 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 Greenwood Lake?

Greenwood Lake covers about 2,041 acres in Cook County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Greenwood Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include lake trout, lake whitefish, northern pike, smallmouth bass, green sunfish, yellow perch. The page lists all 8 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Greenwood Lake?

Yes. The Minnesota DNR lists a public access site on Greenwood Lake: a boat ramp with a boat dock and restrooms. It is administered by the U.S. Forest Service. DNR directions: "16 miles northeast of Grand Marais, off Forest Road 309, on the southwest shore of Greenwood Lake."

More lakes in Cook County