8 miles northeast of Babbitt
St. Louis County, Minnesota · 47.7407° N, 91.8438° W
Directions to Birch Lake (W) 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 15 Oct 2026, 5:26 pm EDT.
National Weather Service; National Interagency Fire Center; U.S. EPA CyAN satellite; Minnesota DNR. Weather, warnings, fires and satellite refresh when you open the page (checked at most hourly).
Minnesota DNR lake survey, fetched 15 Oct 2026. Not for navigation.
4 public access sites on Birch Lake.
Minnesota DNR public water accesses, fetched 15 Oct 2026.
Minnesota DNR’s latest standard fish survey of Birch Lake was in August 2012: 12 gill nets caught 8 species. This survey is 14 years old. The DNR also ran a targeted survey in August 2025; this section uses the latest standard survey.
Walleye per gill net, standard surveys: 1993 7.4 · 1997 14 · 2000 13 · 2003 12 · 2012 8.9
Walleye: 107 measured, 4 to 29 in, half 11 in or longer; average 0.88 lb, normal (normal 0.7–1.3 lb).
Northern pike: 20 measured, 13 to 39 in, half 24 in or longer; average 4.1 lb, above normal (normal 1.9–3.6 lb).
Black crappie: 12 measured, 6 to 11 in, half 7 in or longer; average 0.37 lb, normal (normal 0.2–0.5 lb).
Yellow perch: 36 measured, 5 to 10 in, half 7 in or longer; average 0.18 lb, normal (normal 0.1–0.3 lb).
Tullibee (cisco): 105 measured, 7 to 16 in, half 11 in or longer; average 0.63 lb, above normal (normal 0.2–0.5 lb).
Also caught: bluegill, tullibee (cisco), white sucker.
Source: Minnesota DNR Fisheries lake survey, 27 Aug 2012, 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 6 ft: the Secchi depth across 6 readings, 2006–2025.
Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and volunteer Secchi readings, via Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, fetched 15 Oct 2026.
Minnesota DNR lake survey; straight-line miles.
Birch Lake is 25 feet at its deepest point, measured by Minnesota DNR survey. It covers 7,074 acres.
Yes. 4 public access sites are listed: Birch Lake (W) Public Water Access Site; Birch Lake (S) Public Water Access Site; Birch Lake (NE) Public Water Access Site; Birch Lake, Hwy 1 Public Water Access Site.
Minnesota DNR’s August 2012 standard survey caught 8 species, most often walleye, yellow perch, northern pike and black crappie.
About 69% of the lake's area is deeper than 10 feet, measured from Minnesota DNR depth contours.