South Chain Lake

St. Joseph County, Indiana · IN DNR bathymetric survey

7ft Max
depth

93 acres 7 contours Public access 21% weedy

Paddling Index60Mixedsheltered geometry · speed limit

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Depth scale

01234567

The lake

Survey readout

South Chain Lake is mapped to a depth of 7 ft on the Indiana DNR survey and covers about 93 acres in St. Joseph County, Indiana.

Measured from the Indiana DNR lake bathymetry survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 7 ft
Surface area: 93 acres
Shoreline: 3.31 mi · irregular
Aquatic vegetation: 21% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: Boat Ramp · Indiana DNR site

Additional depth details7 contours

Contour depths: 0–7 ft
Recorded point soundings: 7 ft, 2 ft

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Location

St. Joseph County, Indiana · all 5 lakes · tap a dot for that lake

Chart data

Provenance

Sources: IN DNR Lake Bathymetry, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL).

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Map details & sources4 sources

All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.

Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates: 41.68247, -86.37012
IN DNR lake ID: south-chain-lake
Vertical exaggeration: 3.0×
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.1 MB

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-21

60 / 100MixedData confidence: High

South Chain Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, well sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume roads. Watercraft controls: Speed limit.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Mixed	8.0 of 30	44% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (9% forest, 34% wetland; 54% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	25.0 of 25	mean fetch 439 m · 64% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controls	Speed limit	9.0 of 15	Speed limit
Public access	Good	12.8 of 15	1 DNR fishing access site · boat ramp
Road isolation	Mixed	5.0 of 15	nearby higher-volume roads · 7 INDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 22,883 vehicles/day

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
Aquatic vegetation: Moderate — approximately 21% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
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 — 9% forest and 34% wetland cover within 150 m of shore

Compare Indiana lakes by Paddling Index →

How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public environmental, access, roadway and watercraft-control 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: natural setting 30%, geometric wind exposure 25%, watercraft controls 15%, public access 15%, road isolation 15%; observed motorboat activity is weighted 0% because no defensible lake-level measurement exists. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Sources: USGS NHD waterbody outline, USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021), IN DNR Fishing Access Sites (motor restrictions) (2026-08), IN DNR Fishing Access Sites (2026-08) and INDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (2021). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Non-native species records

No non-native species recorded in the available dataset. This does not confirm that no non-native species are present.

Source: Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Conservation Planner; underlying nonindigenous species records from the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.

Quick answers

South Chain Lake — common questions

How deep is South Chain Lake?

The deepest contour on the Indiana DNR bathymetric survey of South Chain Lake is 7 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 South Chain Lake?

South Chain Lake covers about 93 acres in St. Joseph County, Indiana.

Is there public access to South Chain Lake?

Yes. The Indiana DNR lists a public access site on South Chain Lake: a boat ramp.