Lake Charley

Douglas County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey

30ft Max
depth

138 acres 6 contours

Paddling Index59MixedMedium confidencesheltered geometry

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Depth scale

051015202530

The lake

Survey readout

Lake Charley is mapped to a depth of 30 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 138 acres in Douglas County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1966.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 30 ft
Survey year: 1966
Surface area: 138 acres
Shoreline: 1.63 mi · round
Aquatic vegetation: 5% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: No public DNR launch identified

Additional depth details6 contours

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

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Location

Douglas County, Minnesota · 15 nearest of 53 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: 45.94360, -95.40516
MN DNR lake ID: 21012000
Vertical exaggeration: 2.66×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.2 MB

Paddling

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

59 / 100MixedData confidence: Medium

Lake Charley has a mixed natural and developed setting, well sheltered geometry, some nearby classified roads.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Mixed	16.5 of 43	40% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (10% forest, 25% wetland; 8% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	31.1 of 36	mean fetch 591 m · 32% 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	Not listed	—	No public access site of this lake’s own in the MN DNR water access and fishing site records. Private, commercial and informal launches are not all in these records, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized.
Road isolation	Good	11.2 of 21	some nearby classified roads · 6 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 2,050 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 5% 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: Limited — 10% forest and 25% 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) and MnDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (counts 2014–2020). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Infested waters listing

listed via connection

Mussels & snails

Zebra MusselListed in 2014 because this water is connected to Ida (21-0123). The species has not necessarily been found in this lake.

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

Lake Charley — common questions

How deep is Lake Charley?

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

Lake Charley covers about 138 acres in Douglas County, Minnesota.

Is there public access to Lake Charley?

No public launch for Lake Charley appears in the Minnesota DNR access data. That is not the same as the lake being private -- private and commercial launches are not in that source.

More lakes in Douglas County