Minnesota Lake Depths
NESW

Lake Placid

Morrison County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey
20ft Max
depth
520 acres 4 contours
Paddling Index60MixedMedium confidenceaway from major roads · wooded shoreline
Get directions

Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Lake Placid is mapped to a depth of 20 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 520 acres in Morrison County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1958.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
20 ft
Survey year
1958
Surface area
520 acres
Shoreline
9.58 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation
5% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details4 contours
Contour depths
0–20 ft
Recorded point soundings
20 ft
Compare with another lake
Chart data

Provenance

Sources: MN DNR Lake Bathymetric Contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

⚠ Not for navigation

Spot an error? Send a correction

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
46.30911, -94.51336
MN DNR lake ID
49008000
Vertical exaggeration
3.0×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.2 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-25
60 / 100MixedData confidence: Medium

Lake Placid has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, moderate open-water exposure, limited nearby major-road exposure.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingVery Good29.4 of 4371% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (32% forest, 37% wetland; 14% developed)
Geometric wind exposureGood16.9 of 36mean fetch 1,451 m · 3% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · moderate open-water 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 accessNot 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 isolationVery Good13.4 of 21limited nearby major-road exposure · 8 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 3,450 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
High — 32% forest and 37% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
State water trail
On a state water trail — Part of a designated Minnesota State Water Trail: Crow Wing River. · MN DNR State Water Trails
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 2019–2025). 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).

Common Carp
Greater Redhorse
Silver Redhorse
White Sucker
Shorthead Redhorse
Hybrid Sunfish
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 2014
111Fish sampled
15Species

Gamefish Smallmouth Bass 18 · Northern Pike 5

Panfish Rock Bass 17 · Bluegill 11 · Pumpkinseed 8

All survey species15 species

Gamefish

Smallmouth Bass18 caught · to 19″
Northern Pike5 caught · to 23″

Panfish

Rock Bass17 caught · to 6″
Bluegill11 caught · to 9″
Pumpkinseed8 caught · to 5″
Black Crappie5 caught · to 12″
Hybrid Sunfish1 caught · to 5″
Yellow Perch1 caught · to 11″

Bullhead & catfish

Brown Bullhead12 caught · to 13″
Yellow Bullhead2 caught · to 10″

Forage & nongame

Greater Redhorse9 caught · to 22″
Common Carp8 caught · to 26″
White Sucker8 caught · to 19″
Shorthead Redhorse4 caught · to 19″
Silver Redhorse2 caught · to 20″
Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Minnesota DNR lake survey (LakeFinder).

Infested waters listing

listed via connection

Mussels & snails

  • Faucet SnailListed in 2025 because this water is connected to Crow Wing River. The species has not necessarily been found in this lake.
  • Zebra MusselListed in 2025 because this water is connected to Crow Wing River. 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 Placid — common questions

How deep is Lake Placid?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Lake Placid is 20 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 Placid?

Lake Placid covers about 520 acres in Morrison County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Lake Placid?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include northern pike, smallmouth bass, black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, hybrid sunfish. The page lists all 15 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Lake Placid?

No public launch for Lake Placid 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.