Iron Lake vs Sunset Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Sunset Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Iron Lake. Both are in Iron County, Michigan.
Both Iron Lake and Sunset 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: Iron Lake and Sunset 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.
Iron Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9 ft.
Sunset Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Iron Lake | Sunset Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 9 ft | 13.5 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 9 µg/L | 8.5 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.6 µg/L | 1.9 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 45 ft | 54 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 390 acres | 531 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
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.
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Verdict
Iron Lake and Sunset Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Iron Lake: 9 ft, Sunset Lake: 13.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Iron Lake matches its peer on species count.
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Where to stay near Iron Lake and Sunset Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Iron Lake and Sunset Lake. Both lakes are pinned on the map, so you can see which stays sit nearer the one you pick. Switch to Satellite to see how close each is to the water.
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.