Big Sandy Lake
131 ft
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Depth scale
Survey readout
Big Sandy Lake is mapped to a depth of 40 m (131 ft) on the Ontario MNRF survey and covers about 3,867 ha (9,555 acres) in Kenora District, Ontario.
Measured from the Ontario MNRF bathymetry survey.
- Deepest mapped contour
- 40 m (131 ft)
- Surface area
- 3,867 ha (9,555 acres)
- Shoreline
- 48.9 km (30.4 mi) · irregular
- Fishing access
- No MNRF fishing access point listed within 100 m (the list is incomplete)
Additional depth details21 contours
- Contour depths
- 0–40 m (131 ft)
- Deep-spot markers
- 40 m (131 ft)
Provenance
Sources: Ontario MNRF / LIO Bathymetry, Ontario FRI Leaf-On Imagery, Ontario FRI LiDAR DTM, OpenStreetMap (ODbL), Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
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Map details & sources5 sources
All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.
Survey-derived depth contours drape over Ontario LiDAR (FRI DTM) elevation, with a Ontario FRI aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Colour shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.
- Coordinates
- 49.82029, -92.35648
- MNRF lake ID
- 15-5463-55189
- Vertical exaggeration
- 1.56× below the waterline; land at true scale
- Basemap
- Ontario FRI
- Model size
- 2.3 MB
Check the source: this lake’s record (15-5463-55189) in the Ontario MNRF bathymetry index, and the contour line layer the map is drawn from (Land Information Ontario open data, Open Government Licence – Ontario). Survey year: not recorded in the source. This model was built 2026-10-01. Depths between contours are interpolated, not measured.
Paddling
Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-16Big Sandy Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, long open-water fetch, substantial nearby higher-volume roads.
On a canoe route · portages mapped. Portage trails end at this shoreline, including Blackface Portage. Portages carry canoes over land between waters, and the ground around the lake in the 3D view is terrain those trails cross. Trail condition, length and elevation change are not measured here — check the park or canoe-route map before you go. Trails: OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Why this score?5 components
Included in the index
| Component | Rating | Points of weight | Measurement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural setting | Excellent | 41.2 of 43 | 96% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (83% forest, 10% wetland; 1% developed) |
| Geometric wind exposure | Modest | 1.8 of 36 | mean fetch 6,669 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · long open-water fetch |
| Motor & speed rules | Not modelled | — | Canada publishes vessel motor and speed restrictions as federal legal schedules, not map data, so they are not part of the Ontario index. Check local signage and Transport Canada rules before going out. |
| Public access | Not listed | — | No publicly listed MNRF fishing access point within 100 m of this shoreline. Municipal, private and informal launches are not all in this source, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized. |
| Road isolation | Modest | 4.3 of 21 | substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 15 Ontario Road Network segments within 1.2 km (traffic estimated from road class, not measured) |
Additional paddling considerations
These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.
- Wake sensitivity
- Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
- Observed motorized activity
- Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
- Wildlife habitat potential
- High — 83% forest and 10% wetland cover within 150 m of shore
- Mapped wildlife habitat
- Mapped — Ontario MNRF has mapped moose aquatic feeding areas within 1 km of this lake. These are habitat records from provincial surveys, not animal counts; areas with nothing mapped may still hold wildlife. · Ontario MNRF Wildlife Values Area. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
Compare Ontario lakes by Paddling Index →
Big Sandy Lake — common questions
How deep is Big Sandy Lake?
The deepest contour on the Ontario MNRF bathymetric survey of Big Sandy Lake is 40 m (131 ft). That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.
How big is Big Sandy Lake?
Big Sandy Lake covers about 3,867 ha (9,555 acres) in Kenora District, Ontario.
Is there public access to Big Sandy Lake?
No fishing access point for Big Sandy Lake appears in the Ontario MNRF fishing access point list (within 100 m of the shoreline). That is not the same as the lake being private -- the MNRF list is incomplete, and many municipal, marina and private launches are not in it.
