Beaver Lake vs Grand Sable Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Beaver Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Grand Sable Lake. Both are in Alger County, Michigan.
Both Beaver Lake and Grand Sable Lake sit in Michigan. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are close: Beaver Lake and Grand Sable Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
With readings this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.
Beaver Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14.5 ft.
Grand Sable Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Beaver Lake | Grand Sable Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 14.5 ft Better | 8 ft |
| Phosphorus | 7.8 µg/L Better | 10.8 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 39 ft | 85 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 782 acres | 656 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Yes |
| Fish Species | 14 Better | 0 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
Verdict
Beaver Lake and Grand Sable Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Beaver Lake: 14.5 ft, Grand Sable Lake: 8 ft) and what you want from the lake. Beaver Lake supports more documented fish species.
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Where to stay near Beaver Lake and Grand Sable Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.