Minnesota Lake Depths
NESW

Roy Lake

Crow Wing County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey
25ft Max
depth
319 acres 5 contours
Paddling Index54ModestMedium confidencesheltered geometry · wooded shoreline
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Roy Lake is mapped to a depth of 25 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 319 acres in Crow Wing County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1958.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
25 ft
Survey year
1958
Surface area
319 acres
Shoreline
6.01 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation
12% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
No public DNR launch identified
Additional depth details5 contours
Contour depths
0–25 ft
Recorded point soundings
25 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
46.51611, -94.32548
MN DNR lake ID
18039800
Vertical exaggeration
2.83×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.4 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-25
54 / 100ModestData confidence: Medium

Roy Lake has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume roads.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingVery Good27.3 of 4370% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (40% forest, 29% wetland; 26% developed)
Geometric wind exposureVery Good20.2 of 36mean fetch 1,145 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 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 isolationMixed6.7 of 21nearby higher-volume roads · 6 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 15,964 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 12% 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 — 40% forest and 29% 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) and MnDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (counts 2020–2025). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys

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. 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 2025
569Fish sampled
14Species

Gamefish Northern Pike 77 · Bowfin 8 · Largemouth Bass 6 · Walleye 6

Panfish Bluegill 269 · Hybrid Sunfish 48 · Pumpkinseed 39

All survey species14 species

Gamefish

Northern Pike77 caught · to 33″
Bowfin8 caught · to 27″
Largemouth Bass6 caught · to 18″
Walleye6 caught · to 26″

Panfish

Bluegill269 caught · to 8″
Hybrid Sunfish48 caught · to 9″
Pumpkinseed39 caught · to 7″
Yellow Perch26 caught · to 11″
Black Crappie22 caught · to 11″
Rock Bass12 caught · to 8″

Bullhead & catfish

Yellow Bullhead39 caught · to 14″
Brown Bullhead9 caught · to 14″

Forage & nongame

Common Carp4 caught · to 34″
White Sucker4 caught · to 18″
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

  • Zebra MusselListed in 2010 because this water is connected to Gull (11-0305). 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

Roy Lake — common questions

How deep is Roy Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Roy Lake is 25 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 Roy Lake?

Roy Lake covers about 319 acres in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Roy Lake?

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

Is there public access to Roy Lake?

No public launch for Roy Lake 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.