Living on Pig Lake
Pig Lake gives you clear, deep water and a calmer home bay, with all of Lower Whitefish waiting just through the channel.
Pig Lake has a name that makes people smile, and a lake that makes them stay. It is a deep, clear, oval basin on the southeast side of Lower Whitefish Lake. The DNR's own fisheries summary says it "seems more like a large bay than a separate lake," and owners tend to describe it the same way: a sheltered home bay on one of the biggest lakes on the chain.
If you are imagining a home here, here is what daily life on Pig Lake looks like.
If a clear-water bay off Lower Whitefish sounds right, tell David what you are looking for.
The water
Pig Lake covers about 196 acres and drops to 56 feet at its deepest. Only about a third of it, roughly 33 percent, is 15 feet deep or less, so most of the lake is open, deeper water. Average clarity is about 15.8 feet, and the DNR's most recent readings were even clearer, 20 feet in June 2018 and 22 feet in June 2024.
The DNR classifies Pig as mesotrophic, a middle ground between nutrient-poor and nutrient-rich. In practice, that means clear water that still supports a healthy plant community and fishery. The DNR's 2011 plant survey recorded 29 plant species, with plants growing as deep as 21 feet.
The shoreline
The DNR describes Pig as oval with two small bays on the northwest shore and no inlets. Its shoreline runs just under 3 miles. Near-shore bottoms are mainly sand and gravel, with muck in the northwest bay. For swimmers, that firm bottom across much of the lake is a real pleasure.
The DNR also notes that most of the shoreline is privately owned and developed with homes. So this is not a wilderness lake. It is a settled, lived-in lake with clear water and established lake homes along most of its shore.
Wildlife is still part of the picture. The DNR's Sensitive Lakeshore Survey recorded 36 bird species on Pig in 2011, and common loons turned up at more than 20 percent of survey stations.
Boating on the chain
This is Pig Lake's great gift. A broad channel connects it directly to Lower Whitefish, and a narrow channel on the east shore leads to a small bay of Lower Whitefish. From Lower Whitefish, the rest of the Whitefish Chain opens up: Upper Whitefish, Rush-Hen, Cross Lake and the lakes beyond.
So owners get both: calm water at home and big water minutes away. Watch for slow-no-wake areas in channels and narrows, and give the wind on Lower Whitefish the respect it deserves on a rough day.
See the Lower Whitefish Lake guide and the Upper Whitefish Lake guide for the water next door.
Quiet or busy?
Pig is calmer than the open main basins of the Whitefish lakes. The DNR lists its public access as the channel from Lower Whitefish, so most boats arrive by water rather than by trailer. Summer weekends bring boats in from the chain, especially on calm days, but the bay shape keeps it feeling sheltered.
Fishing here leans toward pike and walleye. The DNR's 2024 survey found moderate pike numbers and large, if few, walleye, while bluegill ran small. More in our Pig Lake fishing guide.
Town and services
Crosslake is the closest full-service town for most Pig Lake owners, with groceries, restaurants, hardware stores and marinas. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers runs the Cross Lake Recreation Area in Crosslake, with camping, a boat ramp and a fishing pier on the Pine River. For larger shopping and medical care, owners head to the bigger towns of the Brainerd lakes area.
The DNR notes that the Ideal Fire Department uses an old township road access on Pig's south shore, with a gate that opens for winter access.
Questions
How clear is Pig Lake?
Average clarity is about 15.8 feet, and recent DNR readings were 20 feet in 2018 and 22 feet in 2024.
Is Pig Lake connected to the Whitefish Chain?
Yes. A broad channel connects it to Lower Whitefish Lake, and a narrow channel on the east shore reaches a small bay of Lower Whitefish.
What is the bottom like on Pig Lake?
The DNR describes the near-shore bottom as mainly sand and gravel, with muck in the northwest bay.
Keep reading
See buying a home on Pig Lake, a year on Pig Lake, the main Pig Lake guide or all the lakes.
Ready to look at homes on Pig Lake? Call or text David at 218.513.2677 or email david@whitefishpropertyfinder.com. Already own here? Request a private valuation.
Sources: MN DNR LakeFinder, Pig Lake; MN DNR aquatic vegetation survey, Pig Lake; MN DNR Sensitive Lakeshore Survey, Whitefish Chain; U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Cross Lake Recreation Area.