Buying a Home on Lower Hay Lake: What to Check First
Lower Hay's clear water and steep, hard-bottom shoreline are what draw buyers, and they are also exactly what deserve a close look on every lot.
Know the lake first
Lower Hay Lake is 700 acres, 100 feet deep, with 4.44 miles of shoreline. Only about 21 percent of the lake is 15 feet or shallower, and it has the clearest water on the Whitefish Chain. It sits at the chain's southwest end, about four miles northeast of Pequot Lakes, and connects to Whitefish Lake through a navigable channel on its east side.
You are choosing a place you will return to for years. My role is to help you see each property clearly, so the decision stays yours and stays sound.
Ready to start looking? Visit the buyer page, and keep the Lower Hay Lake guide handy as you compare.
Frontage and the water off the dock
The DNR describes Lower Hay's shoals as primarily hard sand and gravel. That is good news for swimming and docks. The steep basin is the other half of the story: on a lake where so little water is shallow, the shelf can be narrow and the drop-off close to shore.
- Depth off the dock: Measure the depth at the end of the existing dock and at the lift, ideally in late summer. Ask whether it suits the boat you plan to own.
- The drop-off: On a steep shore, a short dock may already reach deep water. That is useful for boats and less so if you want a long, shallow wading area; know which you are buying.
- Frontage: Confirm measured shoreline footage from a survey. It affects dock options, privacy and what zoning allows.
- Plants: Lower Hay has submerged plants such as coontail and pondweeds rather than bulrush or lily beds. Any plant removal below the ordinary high water level is regulated by the DNR.
Exposure and slope
Note which direction the lot faces for sun and wind, and walk from the house to the water. Deep lakes often come with sloped shorelines, and the grade affects stairs, lake access for older visitors, lawn runoff and what you can build. A west-facing lot catches the evening light; a lot facing open water to the west catches more wave action.
Shoreland rules and who issues permits
Before you plan any changes, confirm which office has zoning authority over the parcel, whether Crow Wing County, a township or a city, and how it classifies Lower Hay Lake. The class sets the setbacks and lot standards.
Under Crow Wing County's land use ordinance, the standard structure setback from the ordinary high water level is 75 feet on a General Development lake, 100 feet on a Recreational Development lake and 150 feet on a Natural Environment lake. Septic setbacks and minimum riparian lot widths also change by class. Residential impervious surface in the county's shoreland protection zone starts at 15 percent of the lot, with higher limits available with a stormwater plan and a shoreline buffer. If a property is within the City of Crosslake, the city's ordinance applies instead, including a 25 percent residential impervious cap.
Many lake cabins were built before current setbacks. If you are counting on expanding or rebuilding, have the plan checked against the rules before you make an offer.
Septic and well
Crow Wing County requires a septic compliance inspection at property transfer, performed by a state-licensed inspector, and a compliance inspection is valid for three years from issuance. Ask for the certificate early. Ask about the well, too: its age, depth and the most recent water test.
On the chain's clearest lake, a sound septic system is part of what you are buying, and part of what keeps the water the way you found it.
The channel, no-wake water and boating
All boat travel to the rest of the chain goes through the channel on the east side. Channels on the chain are slow-no-wake and can be narrow and shallow, and boaters entering Lower Hay late in the season have run aground near the channel's sandbars. If you plan to own a larger boat, ask how it handles that route through the season.
Winter roads and year-round use
Ask whether the road in is public or private, who plows it and how plowing is paid for. Check the driveway grade, which can matter more on a sloped lot. For year-round use, confirm the heating system, insulation and how the water line is protected from freezing.
Questions
Is the bottom sandy on Lower Hay Lake?
The DNR describes the shoals as primarily hard sand and gravel. Because the lake is deep and steep, depth off the dock varies from lot to lot.
Do I need a septic inspection to buy on Lower Hay Lake?
Crow Wing County requires a septic compliance inspection at property transfer, valid for three years. Confirm with the office that has zoning authority over the parcel.
Can I boat from Lower Hay Lake to the rest of the chain?
Yes, through the navigable channel on the east side to Whitefish Lake. It is slow-no-wake and has sandbars nearby.
Keep reading: living on Lower Hay Lake, selling a home on Lower Hay Lake, and the Big Trout Lake buyer's guide. Compare every lake on the lake guides page.
As a 4th-generation builder with 20+ years of experience, I look at a lake home the way you will live in it. Call or text 218.513.2677 or email david@whitefishpropertyfinder.com, or start on the buyer page.
Sources: MN DNR, Lower Hay Lake aquatic vegetation report (2011); MN DNR, Sensitive Lakeshore Survey, Whitefish Chain (2012); Crow Wing County, lot and structure information; Crow Wing County, septic systems FAQ; City of Crosslake, land use factsheet.