How deep is Houghton Lake?

Houghton Lake reaches a maximum depth of 21 feet in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey. Most of it is far shallower: the survey charts 6 closed depth contours over about 19,406 acres, and half of that water sits inside the 12 ft line.

Where is the deepest part of Houghton Lake?

The deepest charted water on Houghton Lake lies inside the 21 ft contour, toward the southern end of the lake. That contour encloses 19 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 Houghton Lake is shallower than 12 feet?

About half. The 12 ft contour encloses 9,529 acres of the roughly 19,406 acres inside the outer 4 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 12 feet. The sharpest drop is between 16 and 17 feet, where the mapped water sheds 4,302 acres.

How accurate is this Houghton 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

Houghton Lake depth map

Houghton Lake in Roscommon County, Michigan reaches a depth of 21 feet. Houghton Lake is charted here across 6 closed depth contours, from the 4 ft line down to 21 ft, enclosing about 19,406 acres of water. Half of that water lies inside the 12 ft line, and only 19 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

Houghton Lake depth chart: 6 depth contours from 4 to 21 ft

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

Houghton Lake depth chart data: water enclosed by each contour
Depth contour	Water inside it	Share of mapped water
4 ft	19,406 acres	100%
8 ft	16,820 acres	87%
12 ft	9,529 acres	49%
16 ft	4,475 acres	23%
17 ft	173 acres	under 1%
21 ft	19 acres	under 1%

Acreages are computed from the closed Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours contour rings, with islands subtracted. Shares are of the 19,406 acres inside the outermost charted contour (the 4 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 Houghton Lake: an evenly graded bottom

About 19,406 acres of Houghton Lake sit inside the survey's 4 ft contour, and half of that water is already gone by the 12 ft line: the bottom loses depth gradually and evenly, with no broad shelf and no single abrupt drop. The steepest break on the chart runs from 16 down to 17 ft: 4,302 acres of bottom fall away across 1 ft there, which makes that band the first contour to work. The deepest 21 ft contour holds 19 acres, under 1% of the mapped water, toward the southern end of the lake. At 21 ft top to bottom, weed growth shapes this water more than depth does, but the 19-acre deep spot still concentrates fish in the heat of summer, and the one-contour depressions on the chart are the ones most anglers row straight over.

Ice fishing on Houghton Lake

Shallow water like Houghton Lake is usually among the first to make safe ice, and with only 19 acres inside the 21 ft contour the fish have very little deep water to spread into once the weed beds die back. That hole, and the subtle single-contour depressions across the 19,406-acre basin, are where to start. Check ice thickness locally before you walk out.

Houghton Lake depth map FAQs

How deep is Houghton Lake?: Houghton Lake reaches a maximum depth of 21 feet in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey. Most of it is far shallower: the survey charts 6 closed depth contours over about 19,406 acres, and half of that water sits inside the 12 ft line.
Where is the deepest part of Houghton Lake?: The deepest charted water on Houghton Lake lies inside the 21 ft contour, toward the southern end of the lake. That contour encloses 19 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 Houghton Lake is shallower than 12 feet?: About half. The 12 ft contour encloses 9,529 acres of the roughly 19,406 acres inside the outer 4 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 12 feet. The sharpest drop is between 16 and 17 feet, where the mapped water sheds 4,302 acres.
How accurate is this Houghton 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 Houghton Lake

Higgins Lake depth map · 130+ ft max · 8 mi away
Long Lake depth map · 76 ft max · 18 mi away
Arnold Lake depth map · 80+ ft max · 19 mi away
Lake Margrethe depth map · 65 ft max · 21 mi away
Elk Lake depth map · 47 ft max · 22 mi away

Mapped fishing venues near Houghton Lake

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

Higgins Lake · 8 mi away
West Higgins Lake Drive Road End Access · 8 mi away
Long Lake · 18 mi away

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