How deep is Muskegon Lake?

Muskegon Lake is more than 66 feet deep. The deepest contour in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey is the 66 foot line, and the lake continues deeper inside it.

Where is the deepest part of Muskegon Lake?

The deepest charted water on Muskegon Lake lies inside the 66 ft contour, toward the southern end of the lake. That contour encloses 9.9 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 Muskegon Lake is shallower than 36 feet?

About half. The 36 ft contour encloses 1,193 acres of the roughly 4,256 acres inside the outer 5 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 36 feet. The sharpest drop is between 5 and 6 feet, where the mapped water sheds 1,066 acres.

How accurate is this Muskegon 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

Muskegon Lake depth map

Muskegon Lake in Muskegon County, Michigan reaches a depth of more than 66 feet at its deepest surveyed contour. Muskegon Lake is charted here across 7 closed depth contours, from the 5 ft line down to 66 ft, enclosing about 4,256 acres of water. Half of that water lies inside the 36 ft line, and only 9.9 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

Muskegon Lake depth chart: 7 depth contours from 5 to 66 ft

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

Muskegon Lake depth chart data: water enclosed by each contour
Depth contour	Water inside it	Share of mapped water
5 ft	4,256 acres	100%
6 ft	3,190 acres	75%
12 ft	2,833 acres	67%
18 ft	2,557 acres	60%
36 ft	1,193 acres	28%
48 ft	288 acres	6.8%
66 ft	9.9 acres	under 1%

Acreages are computed from the closed Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours contour rings, with islands subtracted. Shares are of the 4,256 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 Muskegon Lake: a stepped drop into deep water

The survey encloses about 4,256 acres of Muskegon Lake inside its 5 ft contour, and half of that water lies inside the 36 ft line, so the bottom steps down contour by contour into the deep basin rather than shelving flat or plunging all at once. Between 5 and 6 ft the mapped water sheds 1,066 acres in 1 ft of depth, the sharpest change on the chart, start on that band, because it is where the bottom stops being flat. 9.9 acres, under 1% of the mapped water, lie inside the deepest 66 ft contour, toward the southern end of the lake. At 66 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-36 ft ground, and the fish that move between the two do it along the 5–6 ft break at first and last light.

Ice fishing on Muskegon Lake

Deep water like Muskegon 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 66 ft hole. That edge is the 5–6 ft band on the chart above, where 1,066 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-36 ft flat. Check ice thickness locally before you walk out.

Muskegon Lake depth map FAQs

How deep is Muskegon Lake?: Muskegon Lake is more than 66 feet deep. The deepest contour in the Michigan DNR Inland Lake Contours survey is the 66 foot line, and the lake continues deeper inside it.
Where is the deepest part of Muskegon Lake?: The deepest charted water on Muskegon Lake lies inside the 66 ft contour, toward the southern end of the lake. That contour encloses 9.9 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 Muskegon Lake is shallower than 36 feet?: About half. The 36 ft contour encloses 1,193 acres of the roughly 4,256 acres inside the outer 5 ft line, so the other half of the water is shallower than 36 feet. The sharpest drop is between 5 and 6 feet, where the mapped water sheds 1,066 acres.
How accurate is this Muskegon 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 Muskegon Lake

Mona Lake depth map · 42 ft max · 5 mi away
Fremont Lake depth map · 88+ ft max · 22 mi away
Half Moon Lake depth map · 82 ft max · 24 mi away
Ryerson Lake depth map · 80+ ft max · 27 mi away
Pickerel Lake depth map · 73 ft max · 28 mi away

Mapped fishing venues near Muskegon Lake

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

Mona Lake · 5 mi away
Vigil Cove · 15 mi away
Fremont Lake · 22 mi away

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