How deep is Lake Superior?
Lake Superior is 1,332 feet deep at its maximum and averages 483 feet, according to the US EPA and NOAA GLERL physical features tables (measured at Low Water Datum). That makes it the deepest Great Lake by a margin of more than 400 feet, and its average depth alone is more than double Lake Erie's maximum. Superior holds more water than the other four Great Lakes combined.
Published figures: US EPA, Physical Features of the Great Lakes
Lake Superior depth facts
| Maximum depth | 1,332 ft (406 m), EPA / NOAA GLERL, Low Water Datum |
| Average depth | 483 ft (147 m) |
| Rank among the Great Lakes | Deepest of the five, on both maximum and average depth |
| Rank among US lakes | Fourth deepest, after Crater Lake (1,943 ft), Lake Tahoe (1,645 ft) and Lake Chelan (1,486 ft) |
Why there is no Superior contour map here yet
Every depth map on GilledIt is built from a published vector contour dataset: the Michigan DNR lake surveys, Indiana DNR bathymetry, CT DEEP contours, and NOAA's Great Lakes contour files for Michigan, Huron, Erie, Ontario, and St. Clair. Lake Superior is the one Great Lake NOAA has not published contours for. What exists is a gridded elevation model that NOAA marks as a draft, incomplete compilation. Deriving honest contours from that grid is on our roadmap; until then, this page carries the published figures rather than a map we cannot yet stand behind. The other four lakes have full interactive maps:
Lake Superior depth FAQs
- How deep is Lake Superior?
- Lake Superior is 1,332 feet deep at its maximum and averages 483 feet, per the US EPA and NOAA GLERL physical features tables (Low Water Datum). It is the deepest and largest of the Great Lakes by every measure.
- Where is the deepest part of Lake Superior?
- The deepest basin lies in the eastern half of the lake, roughly north of Munising, Michigan. Most of the lake is far deeper than any other Great Lake: its 483 foot average alone is more than double Lake Erie's 210 foot maximum.
- Is Lake Superior the deepest lake in the United States?
- No. Crater Lake in Oregon is the deepest US lake at 1,943 feet, followed by Lake Tahoe at 1,645 feet and Lake Chelan in Washington at 1,486 feet. Lake Superior's 1,332 feet makes it the fourth deepest lake in the country and by far the deepest of the Great Lakes.
- Why is there no Lake Superior depth map on GilledIt?
- Every depth map on GilledIt is built from a published vector contour dataset, and NOAA has not produced bathymetric contours for Lake Superior; it publishes only a gridded elevation model it marks as a draft compilation. Rather than break that standard, this page carries the published depth facts, and a contour map derived from NOAA's grid is on our roadmap.
All five Great Lakes depths compared · US fishing license guide