Shebandowan Lakes

Thunder Bay District, Ontario · MNRF bathymetric survey

24.4m Mapped depth
80 ft

1,821 ha 6 contours Fishing access

Paddling Index42Modestwooded shoreline

Get directions

Depth scale

036.19.112.218.324.4 m

The lake

Survey readout

Shebandowan Lakes is mapped to a depth of 24.4 m (80 ft) on the Ontario MNRF survey and covers about 1,821 ha (4,499 acres) in Thunder Bay District, Ontario. Depths come from the Ontario MNRF survey of 1972.

Measured from the Ontario MNRF bathymetry survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 24.4 m (80 ft)
Survey year: 1972
Surface area: 1,821 ha (4,499 acres)
Shoreline: 56.6 km (35.2 mi) · irregular
Fishing access: 1 MNRF fishing access point · 1 boat launch

Additional depth details6 contours

Contour depths: 0–24.4 m (80 ft)
Deep-spot markers: 24.4 m (80 ft)

Compare with another lake

Location

Thunder Bay District, Ontario · 15 nearest of 285 lakes and 3 rivers · tap a dot to open it

Chart data

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.

⚠ Not for navigation

Spot an error? Send a correction

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: 48.63561, -90.26043
MNRF lake ID: 15-6988-53913
Vertical exaggeration: 1.75× below the waterline; land at true scale
Basemap: Ontario FRI
Model size: 2.1 MB

Check the source: this lake’s record (15-6988-53913) 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: 1972. This model was built 2026-09-28. Depths between contours are interpolated, not measured.

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-16

42 / 100ModestData confidence: High

Shebandowan Lakes has a mostly natural, lightly developed setting, long open-water fetch, substantial nearby higher-volume roads.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Very Good	24.1 of 35	75% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (66% forest, 8% wetland; 21% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Modest	2.3 of 29	mean fetch 3,745 m · 2% 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	Good	15.0 of 18	1 MNRF fishing access point · boat ramp
Road isolation	Modest	0.9 of 18	substantial nearby higher-volume roads · 169 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: Moderate — 66% forest and 8% 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 →

How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public land-cover, access and road-network data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights for Ontario lakes: natural setting 35%, geometric wind exposure 29%, public access 18%, road isolation 18%. Motor and speed restrictions are not modelled for Ontario, and road traffic is estimated from road class, not measured. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Ontario scores are relative to other Ontario lakes and are not directly comparable with Paddling Index scores on our sister sites, which use different data sources and include a watercraft-rules component. Sources: Ontario MNRF bathymetry outline (0 m contour or survey index polygon), Ontario Land Cover v1.0, Ontario MNRF (Open Government Licence – Ontario) (2020), Ontario MNRF Fishing Access Points (Open Government Licence – Ontario) (2026-09) and Ontario Road Network (Open Government Licence – Ontario); traffic estimated by road class, not measured (2026-09). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Quick answers

Shebandowan Lakes — common questions

How deep is Shebandowan Lakes?

The deepest contour on the Ontario MNRF bathymetric survey of Shebandowan Lakes is 24.4 m (80 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 Shebandowan Lakes?

Shebandowan Lakes covers about 1,821 ha (4,499 acres) in Thunder Bay District, Ontario.

Is there public access to Shebandowan Lakes?

The Ontario MNRF lists 1 fishing access point within 100 m of the shoreline of Shebandowan Lakes: 1 boat launch. The list includes municipal and privately owned sites, and some may charge a fee or restrict parking, so it confirms a place anglers use rather than a public right of way. Check locally before you go.

More lakes in Thunder Bay District