How deep is Higgins Lake?

Higgins Lake is more than 130 feet deep. The deepest contour in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey is the 130 foot line, and the lake continues deeper inside it.

Where is the deepest part of Higgins Lake?

The deepest charted water on Higgins Lake lies inside the 130 ft contour, toward the northwestern corner of the lake. That contour encloses 30 acres, under 1% of the mapped water, so it is a small target on a big lake, the depth chart above gives the contour to line up on.

How much of Higgins Lake is shallower than 60 feet?

About half. The 60 ft contour encloses 4,985 acres of the roughly 10,207 acres inside the outer 5 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 60 feet. The sharpest drop is between 5 and 10 feet, where the mapped water sheds 2,641 acres.

How accurate is this Higgins Lake depth map?

The contours come from the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey, retrieved August 2026 and last rebuilt on August 19, 2026. Depths change over time with water levels and sediment, so treat this map as a planning guide for fishing, and never use it for navigation. Acreages are computed from the published contour geometry, not from a separate area survey, so read them as close approximations.

Michigan lake depth maps

Higgins Lake depth map

Higgins Lake in Roscommon County, Michigan reaches a depth of more than 130 feet at its deepest surveyed contour. Higgins Lake is charted here across 14 closed depth contours, from the 5 ft line down to 130 ft, enclosing about 10,207 acres of water. Half of that water lies inside the 60 ft line, and only 30 acres lie inside the deepest one. Every contour is on the interactive map below, free and without an account.

Data: Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours (public record). Contours closed, checked and area-computed by Jordan Carter, founder of GilledIt · page updated August 19, 2026

Higgins Lake depth chart: 14 depth contours from 5 to 130 ft

Data: Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours (public record), retrieved August 2026 · depths change over time · not for navigation

Higgins Lake depth chart data: water enclosed by each contour
Depth contour	Water inside it	Share of mapped water
5 ft	10,207 acres	100%
10 ft	7,566 acres	74%
20 ft	6,864 acres	67%
30 ft	6,373 acres	62%
40 ft	5,961 acres	58%
50 ft	5,556 acres	54%
60 ft	4,985 acres	49%
70 ft	4,311 acres	42%
80 ft	3,390 acres	33%
90 ft	1,821 acres	18%
100 ft	830 acres	8.1%
110 ft	565 acres	5.5%
120 ft	199 acres	2%
130 ft	30 acres	under 1%

Acreages are computed from the closed Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours contour rings, with islands subtracted. Shares are of the 10,207 acres inside the outermost charted contour (the 5 ft line), which is the outer edge of the mapped water, several state files carry no 0 ft shoreline line, so this is not the same as a share of the lake's published surface area.

Fishing Higgins Lake: a stepped drop into deep water

Inside its outermost 5 ft contour the survey charts about 10,207 acres of Higgins Lake, with the 60 ft line enclosing half of it, so the bottom steps down contour by contour into the deep basin rather than shelving flat or plunging all at once. The sharpest change on the chart is between 5 and 10 ft, where the mapped water loses 2,641 acres in 5 ft of depth, that band is the contour to work first, because it is where the bottom stops being flat. 30 acres, under 1% of the mapped water, lie inside the deepest 130 ft contour, toward the northwestern corner of the lake. At 130 ft this is two-story water: the basin can stay cold below the summer thermocline while warm-water fish stay up on the 5-to-60 ft ground, and the fish that move between the two do it along the 5–10 ft break at first and last light.

Ice fishing on Higgins Lake

Deep water like Higgins Lake freezes later and less evenly than the shallow lakes around it, and the winter bite sets up on the first real break, not out over the 130 ft hole. That edge is the 5–10 ft band on the chart above, where 2,641 acres of bottom tilt away, and panfish and walleye work up and down it through the day. By late ice the fish push back onto the 5-to-60 ft flat. Check ice thickness locally before you walk out.

Higgins Lake depth map FAQs

How deep is Higgins Lake?: Higgins Lake is more than 130 feet deep. The deepest contour in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey is the 130 foot line, and the lake continues deeper inside it.
Where is the deepest part of Higgins Lake?: The deepest charted water on Higgins Lake lies inside the 130 ft contour, toward the northwestern corner of the lake. That contour encloses 30 acres, under 1% of the mapped water, so it is a small target on a big lake, the depth chart above gives the contour to line up on.
How much of Higgins Lake is shallower than 60 feet?: About half. The 60 ft contour encloses 4,985 acres of the roughly 10,207 acres inside the outer 5 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 60 feet. The sharpest drop is between 5 and 10 feet, where the mapped water sheds 2,641 acres.
How accurate is this Higgins Lake depth map?: The contours come from the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey, retrieved August 2026 and last rebuilt on August 19, 2026. Depths change over time with water levels and sediment, so treat this map as a planning guide for fishing, and never use it for navigation. Acreages are computed from the published contour geometry, not from a separate area survey, so read them as close approximations.

Depth maps for lakes near Higgins Lake

Houghton Lake depth map · 21 ft max · 8 mi away
Lake Margrethe depth map · 65 ft max · 13 mi away
Blue Lake depth map · 80+ ft max · 25 mi away
Long Lake depth map · 76 ft max · 26 mi away
Twin Lake depth map · 80+ ft max · 27 mi away

Mapped fishing venues near Higgins Lake

Higgins Lake in the venue directory covers access and fishing details for this water.

West Higgins Lake Drive Road End Access · 0 mi away
Houghton Lake · 8 mi away
Lake Margrethe · 13 mi away

Fishing in Michigan needs a state license: Michigan fishing license guide · all Michigan venues