9 miles northeast of Browns Valley
NOT IN MN County, Minnesota · 45.7062° N, 96.7383° W
Directions to Traverse Lake, #4, Brown Valley Public Water Access SiteApple Maps
Directions open in Google or Apple Maps, to the Minnesota DNR public access sites (4 listed; this is the first).
Updated 19 Oct 2026, 6:16 pm EDT.
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Minnesota DNR lake survey, fetched 15 Oct 2026. Not for navigation.
4 public access sites on Traverse Lake.
Minnesota DNR public water accesses, fetched 15 Oct 2026.
Minnesota DNR stocking reports list 4 stockings of Traverse Lake in 4 of the years 2017 to 2025. The most recent, in 2025, included 6,000,000 walleye fry. Species stocked: walleye.
Latest: 2025: 6,000,000 walleye fry.
Source: Minnesota DNR Fisheries (LakeFinder stocking reports), fetched 15 Oct 2026. How we measure
Measured from Minnesota DNR contours. How we measure
Minnesota DNR’s latest standard fish survey of Traverse Lake was in September 2019: 6 gill nets and 17 trap nets caught 26 species. The DNR also ran a targeted survey in September 2025; this section uses the latest standard survey.
Walleye per gill net, standard surveys: 2011 48 · 2012 42 · 2013 15 · 2014 27 · 2019 43
Bluegill per trap net, standard surveys: 2000 0.5 · 2001 1.5 · 2005 1.9 · 2014 1.1 · 2019 4.0
Walleye: 311 measured, 4 to 28 in, half 12 in or longer; average 1 lb, normal (normal 0.9–1.9 lb).
Northern pike: 18 measured, 18 to 30 in, half 22 in or longer; average 2.8 lb, normal (normal 1.5–3 lb).
Smallmouth bass: 17 measured, 5 to 15 in, half 13 in or longer.
Black crappie: 86 measured, 1 to 8 in, half 7 in or longer; average 0.26 lb, normal (normal 0.2–0.4 lb).
White crappie: 8 measured, 8 to 8 in, half 8 in or longer; average 0.3 lb, normal (normal 0.2–0.4 lb).
Also caught: bigmouth buffalo, black bullhead, channel catfish, common carp, freshwater drum, largemouth bass, quillback, shorthead redhorse, smallmouth bass, white sucker, yellow bullhead.
Source: Minnesota DNR Fisheries lake survey, 16 Sep 2019, via LakeFinder, fetched 15 Oct 2026. Normal range: DNR’s range for lakes of the same class (43 classes, grouped by water chemistry and shape). Each line has its own scale. How we measure
Measured water clarity averages about 4 ft: the Secchi depth across 27 readings, 2007–2025.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and volunteer Secchi readings, via Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, fetched 15 Oct 2026.
Minnesota DNR lake survey; straight-line miles.
Traverse Lake is 12 feet at its deepest point, measured by Minnesota DNR survey. It covers 5,166 acres.
Yes. 4 public access sites are listed: Traverse Lake, #4, Brown Valley Public Water Access Site; Traverse Lake, #3 Public Water Access Site; Traverse Lake, #2, Fish Camp Public Water Access Site; Traverse Lake, #1 Public Water Access Site.
Yes. Minnesota DNR stocking reports list 4 stockings of it in 4 of the years 2017 to 2025. The most recent, in 2025, included 6,000,000 walleye fry.
Minnesota DNR’s September 2019 standard survey caught 26 species, most often walleye, yellow perch, black crappie and bluegill.
About 38% of the lake's area is deeper than 10 feet, measured from Minnesota DNR depth contours.