Isabella Lake

Lake County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey

15ft Max
depth

1,257 acres 3 contours Public access

Paddling Index78Goodaway from major roads · wooded shoreline · carry-in access

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Depth scale

051015

The lake

Survey readout

Isabella Lake is mapped to a depth of 15 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 1,257 acres in Lake County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1961.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 15 ft
Survey year: 1961
Surface area: 1,257 acres
Shoreline: 11.96 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 4% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Carry-In · Isabella Lake Public Water Access Site · Minnesota DNR site

Additional depth details3 contours

Contour depths: 0–15 ft
Recorded point soundings: 15 ft

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Location

Lake County, Minnesota · 15 nearest of 51 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: 47.81260, -91.27846
MN DNR lake ID: 38039600
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.3 MB

Paddling

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

78 / 100GoodData confidence: High

Isabella Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, moderate 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	33.9 of 35	94% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (30% forest, 20% wetland; 0% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Good	8.8 of 29	mean fetch 2,192 m · 2% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water 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 · 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 4% 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 — 30% forest and 20% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
Wilderness: Inside the BWCAW — This lake lies inside the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. Federal wilderness rules apply: visitor permits are required, and motors are allowed only on certain lakes, with horsepower limits. Check Superior National Forest rules before going. · MN DNR BWCAW boundary (Public Law 95-495)

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

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).

White Sucker

Sunfish

Shiner

Spottail Shiner

Tadpole Madtom

Blacknose 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

653Fish sampled

15Species

Gamefish Walleye 88 · Northern Pike 20 · Largemouth Bass 8

Panfish Yellow Perch 106 · Black Crappie 33 · Bluegill 32

All survey species15 species

Gamefish

Walleye88 caught · to 21″

Northern Pike20 caught · to 39″

Largemouth Bass8 caught · to 6″

Panfish

Yellow Perch106 caught · to 11″

Black Crappie33 caught · to 11″

Bluegill32 caught · to 4″

Rock Bass20 caught · to 9″

Pumpkinseed5 caught · to 4″

Forage & nongame

Sunfish105 caught

Blacknose Shiner98 caught

Lake Whitefish72 caught · to 17″

White Sucker56 caught · to 21″

Shiner5 caught

Spottail Shiner3 caught

Tadpole Madtom2 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

Isabella Lake — common questions

How deep is Isabella Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Isabella Lake is 15 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 Isabella Lake?

Isabella Lake covers about 1,257 acres in Lake County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Isabella Lake?

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

Is there public access to Isabella Lake?

Yes. The Minnesota DNR lists a public access site on Isabella Lake: a carry-in launch with restrooms. It is administered by the U.S. Forest Service. DNR directions: "From Hwy 1 follow Tomahawk Rd east for 18.4 miles to access."

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