Minnesota Lake Depths
NESW

Kimball Lake

Crow Wing County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey
70ft Max
depth
183 acres 7 contours Public access
Paddling Index59Mixedsheltered geometry
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Kimball Lake is mapped to a depth of 70 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 183 acres in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1982.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
70 ft
Survey year
1982
Surface area
183 acres
Shoreline
3 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation
1% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
Trailer Launch · Kimball Lake Public Water Access Site · Minnesota DNR site
Additional depth details7 contours
Contour depths
0–70 ft
Recorded point soundings
70 ft, 20 ft
Compare with another 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
46.65372, -94.20145
MN DNR lake ID
18036100
Vertical exaggeration
1.4×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.4 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-25
59 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Kimball Lake has a partly natural setting, generally sheltered geometry, some nearby classified roads.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingGood15.5 of 3556% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (46% forest, 9% wetland; 32% developed)
Geometric wind exposureVery Good19.1 of 29mean fetch 934 m · 0% 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 isolationGood9.0 of 18some nearby classified roads · 2 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 2,726 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
Moderate — 46% forest and 9% 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 2019–2023). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys & active stocking

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).

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 2022
600Fish sampled
14Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 115 · Northern Pike 43 · Walleye 18 · Smallmouth Bass 4

Panfish Bluegill 234 · Hybrid Sunfish 67 · Pumpkinseed 28

All survey species14 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass115 caught · to 18″
Northern Pike43 caught · to 37″
Walleye18 caught · to 26″
Smallmouth Bass4 caught · to 17″

Panfish

Bluegill234 caught · to 8″
Hybrid Sunfish67 caught · to 8″
Pumpkinseed28 caught · to 7″
Yellow Perch19 caught · to 7″
Rock Bass12 caught · to 8″
Black Crappie9 caught · to 8″
Green Sunfish5 caught · to 4″

Bullhead & catfish

Yellow Bullhead2 caught · to 11″

Forage & nongame

Cisco40 caught · to 13″
White Sucker4 caught · to 22″
Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Minnesota DNR lake survey (LakeFinder).

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 2017–2025

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

Walleye153,256 stocked · 2017–2025 · 6 plantings
Source: Minnesota DNR LakeFinder stocking report. LakeFinder lists the last 10 years of stocking only.

Infested waters listing

2 confirmed

Mussels & snails

Plants & algae

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

Kimball Lake — common questions

How deep is Kimball Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Kimball Lake is 70 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 Kimball Lake?

Kimball Lake covers about 183 acres in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Kimball Lake?

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

Is there public access to Kimball Lake?

Yes. The Minnesota DNR lists a public access site on Kimball Lake: a boat ramp with a boat dock. It is administered by the DNR Division of Parks and Trails. DNR directions: "6 mi W of Crosslake on Co Rd 16, then 0.5 mi S on Co Rd 39, then 0.75 mi W on Co Rd 120."