Minnesota Lake Depths
NESW

Summit Lake

Cottonwood County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey
8ft Max
depth
64 acres 4 contours Public access
Paddling Index66Mixedaway from major roads · sheltered geometry
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Depth scale

The lake

Survey readout

Summit Lake is mapped to a depth of 8 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 64 acres in Cottonwood County, Minnesota.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour
8 ft
Surface area
64 acres
Shoreline
1.32 mi · round
Aquatic vegetation
1% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access
Trailer Launch · Summit Lake Public Water Access Site · Minnesota DNR site
Additional depth details4 contours
Contour depths
0–8 ft
Recorded point soundings
8 ft, 6 ft, 6 ft, 6 ft, 6 ft, 6 ft
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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
43.85610, -95.06945
MN DNR lake ID
17007300
Vertical exaggeration
3.0×
Basemap
USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size
2.0 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-25
66 / 100MixedData confidence: High

Summit Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, well sheltered geometry, little nearby major-road exposure.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

ComponentRatingPoints of weightMeasurement
Natural settingMixed9.4 of 3529% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (6% forest, 4% wetland; 6% developed)
Geometric wind exposureExcellent27.3 of 29mean fetch 523 m · 38% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
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 isolationExcellent14.3 of 18relatively isolated from major roads · 3 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 344 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
Limited — 6% forest and 4% 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 2024–2025). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys & active stocking

8 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 2000
2,651Fish sampled
7Species

Gamefish Largemouth Bass 20 · Northern Pike 2

Panfish Black Crappie 669 · Bluegill 239 · White Crappie 2

All survey species7 species

Gamefish

Largemouth Bass20 caught · to 17″
Northern Pike2 caught · to 28″

Panfish

Black Crappie669 caught · to 10″
Bluegill239 caught · to 8″
White Crappie2 caught

Bullhead & catfish

Black Bullhead1,718 caught · to 11″

Forage & nongame

White Sucker1 caught · to 16″
Length is the largest fish netted in the survey, not an angler record. Source: Minnesota DNR lake survey (LakeFinder).

DNR stocking

state stocking record · 2016–2025

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

Walleye2,925,140 stocked · 2016–2025 · 9 plantings
Northern Pike264 stocked · 2022
Source: Minnesota DNR LakeFinder stocking report. LakeFinder lists the last 10 years of stocking only.

Infested waters listing

Not on the Minnesota DNR’s infested waters list as of September 9, 2026. This does not mean the lake is free of invasive species: the list covers certain species only, and a species can be present before anyone finds it.

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

Summit Lake — common questions

How deep is Summit Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Summit Lake is 8 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 Summit Lake?

Summit Lake covers about 64 acres in Cottonwood County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Summit Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include largemouth bass, northern pike, walleye, black bullhead, black crappie, bluegill. The page lists all 8 species and the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Summit Lake?

Yes. The Minnesota DNR lists a public access site on Summit Lake: a boat ramp with a boat dock. It is administered by the DNR Division of Parks and Trails. DNR directions: "Take CR 17 out of Windom for 1.8 miles to 507th Ave. Follow 507th avenue south for 0.3 miles to the access."