Waptus Lake

Clearwater County, Minnesota · MN DNR bathymetric survey

40ft Max
depth

52 acres 6 contours Public access

Paddling Index94Excellentaway from major roads · sheltered geometry · wooded shoreline

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Depth scale

051015203040

The lake

Survey readout

Waptus Lake is mapped to a depth of 40 ft on the Minnesota DNR survey and covers about 52 acres in Clearwater County, Minnesota. Depths come from the Minnesota DNR survey of 1979.

Measured from the Minnesota DNR lake bathymetric contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 40 ft
Survey year: 1979
Surface area: 52 acres
Shoreline: 1.59 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 1% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Trailer Launch · Blakely Lake Public Water Access Site · Minnesota DNR site

Additional depth details6 contours

Contour depths: 0–40 ft
Recorded point soundings: 40 ft

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Location

Clearwater County, Minnesota · 15 nearest of 20 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: 47.25627, -95.44389
MN DNR lake ID: 15012800
Vertical exaggeration: 2.32×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.2 MB

Paddling

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

94 / 100ExcellentData confidence: High

Waptus Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, well sheltered geometry, little nearby major-road exposure.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Excellent	32.1 of 35	91% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (79% forest, 12% wetland; 4% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	29.0 of 29	mean fetch 480 m · 62% 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	Good	15.0 of 18	1 DNR public access site · boat ramp
Road isolation	Excellent	17.6 of 18	relatively isolated from major roads · 0 MnDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km

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: Moderate — narrow in places — wakes would carry across parts 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 — 79% forest and 12% 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 (current). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fish you might catch

from DNR surveys

3 species with recent evidence in this lake — sized relative to each other. Illustrations are AI-generated representative adults in everyday colors, not photographs (provenance).

Northern Pike

Black Crappie

Yellow Perch

About these fish → the Fish of Minnesota guide

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 1988

83Fish sampled

3Species

Gamefish

Northern Pike19 caught

Panfish

Yellow Perch54 caught

Black Crappie10 caught

This survey reported catch counts without lengths. Source: Minnesota DNR lake survey (LakeFinder).

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

Waptus Lake — common questions

How deep is Waptus Lake?

The deepest contour on the Minnesota DNR bathymetric survey of Waptus Lake is 40 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 Waptus Lake?

Waptus Lake covers about 52 acres in Clearwater County, Minnesota.

What fish are in Waptus Lake?

Species with survey, catch or recent-stocking evidence include northern pike, black crappie, yellow perch. The page shows the evidence behind each.

Is there public access to Waptus Lake?

Yes. The Minnesota DNR lists a public access site on Waptus Lake: a boat ramp. It is administered by the DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife. DNR directions: "Hwy 200; 1.6 mi S on Co Rd 103; 2.5 mi W on Wapatus Lake Forest Rd; .3 mi W on access rd."

More lakes in Clearwater County