Little Mary Lake

Wright County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey

16ft Max
depth

128 acres 15 contours Public access

Paddling Index75Goodsheltered geometry · wooded shoreline

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Depth scale

0246810121416

The lake

Survey readout

Little Mary Lake is mapped to a depth of 16 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 128 acres in Wright County, Minnesota.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 16 ft
Surface area: 128 acres
Shoreline: 3 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 1% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Trailer Launch · Little Mary Lake (Maria), Lake Maria SPK Public Water Access Site · Minnesota DNR site · 1 more

Additional depth details15 contours

Contour depths: 0–16 ft
Recorded point soundings: 16 ft, 16 ft, 12 ft, 10 ft, 9 ft, 4 ft

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Location

Wright County, Minnesota · 15 nearest of 116 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: 45.31761, -93.96766
MN DNR lake ID: 86013900
Vertical exaggeration: 3.0×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.4 MB

Paddling

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

75 / 100GoodData confidence: High

Little Mary Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, some nearby classified roads.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Very Good	27.4 of 35	77% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (41% forest, 34% wetland; 6% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	23.1 of 29	mean fetch 704 m · 18% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short 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	Good	15.0 of 18	2 DNR public access sites · boat ramp · fishing pier
Road isolation	Good	9.8 of 18	some nearby classified roads · 4 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 2,780 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: High — 41% forest and 34% 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 (counts 2020–2024). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Infested waters listing

1 confirmed

Plants & algae

Eurasian WatermilfoilConfirmed in this water in 2006 (listed 2007).

How to identify invasive species in Minnesota lakes →

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

Little Mary Lake — common questions

How deep is Little Mary Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Little Mary Lake is 16 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 Little Mary Lake?

Little Mary Lake covers about 128 acres in Wright County, Minnesota.

Is there public access to Little Mary Lake?

Yes. The Minnesota DNR lists 2 public access sites on Little Mary Lake: Little Mary Lake (Maria), Lake Maria SPK Public Water Access Site (boat ramp); Lake Maria Fishing Pier (public fishing pier).

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