How deep is Lake Leelanau?

Lake Leelanau reaches a maximum depth of 62 feet in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey. Most of it is far shallower: the survey charts 5 closed depth contours over about 5,785 acres, and half of that water sits inside the 60 ft line.

Where is the deepest part of Lake Leelanau?

The deepest charted water on Lake Leelanau lies inside the 62 ft contour, toward the southeastern corner of the lake. That contour encloses under an acre, 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 Lake Leelanau is shallower than 60 feet?

About half. The 60 ft contour encloses 1,373 acres of the roughly 5,785 acres inside the outer 5 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 60 feet. The sharpest drop is between 60 and 62 feet, where the mapped water sheds 1,373 acres.

How accurate is this Lake Leelanau 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

Lake Leelanau depth map

Lake Leelanau in Leelanau County, Michigan reaches a depth of 62 feet. Lake Leelanau is charted here across 5 closed depth contours, from the 5 ft line down to 62 ft, enclosing about 5,785 acres of water. Half of that water lies inside the 60 ft line, and only under an acre 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

Lake Leelanau depth chart: 5 depth contours from 5 to 62 ft

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

Lake Leelanau depth chart data: water enclosed by each contour
Depth contour	Water inside it	Share of mapped water
5 ft	5,785 acres	100%
20 ft	4,686 acres	81%
40 ft	3,123 acres	54%
60 ft	1,373 acres	24%
62 ft	under 1 acre	under 1%

Acreages are computed from the closed Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours contour rings, with islands subtracted. Shares are of the 5,785 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 Lake Leelanau: steep walls and a big basin

About 5,785 acres of Lake Leelanau sit inside the survey's 5 ft contour, and half of that water is already gone by the 60 ft line: the bottom holds its depth well out from the bank rather than tapering off a long shallow margin. The steepest break on the chart runs from 60 down to 62 ft: 1,373 acres of bottom fall away across 2 ft there, which makes that band the first contour to work. The 62 ft contour, toward the southeastern corner of the lake, encloses under an acre of water, a single pocket rather than a basin, but one worth a drift over in high summer. At 62 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 60–62 ft break at first and last light.

Ice fishing on Lake Leelanau

Deep water like Lake Leelanau 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 62 ft hole. That edge is the 60–62 ft band on the chart above, where 1,373 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.

Lake Leelanau depth map FAQs

How deep is Lake Leelanau?: Lake Leelanau reaches a maximum depth of 62 feet in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey. Most of it is far shallower: the survey charts 5 closed depth contours over about 5,785 acres, and half of that water sits inside the 60 ft line.
Where is the deepest part of Lake Leelanau?: The deepest charted water on Lake Leelanau lies inside the 62 ft contour, toward the southeastern corner of the lake. That contour encloses under an acre, 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 Lake Leelanau is shallower than 60 feet?: About half. The 60 ft contour encloses 1,373 acres of the roughly 5,785 acres inside the outer 5 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 60 feet. The sharpest drop is between 60 and 62 feet, where the mapped water sheds 1,373 acres.
How accurate is this Lake Leelanau 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 Lake Leelanau

Lime Lake depth map · 67 ft max · 6 mi away
Glen Lake depth map · 130 ft max · 12 mi away
Boardman Lake depth map · 73+ ft max · 12 mi away
Long Lake depth map · 88+ ft max · 13 mi away
Lake Ann depth map · 75 ft max · 15 mi away

Mapped fishing venues near Lake Leelanau

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

Lime Lake · 6 mi away
Glen Lake · 12 mi away
Boardman Lake · 12 mi away

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