Beaver Lake
Alger County, Michigan782 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Beaver Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 39 ft max depth
Beaver Lake in Alger County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 39 ft. Surface area: 781.7 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Beaver Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 39 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Beaver Lake is a 782-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Alger County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 39 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 14 documented fish species including Bluntnose minnow, Brook stickleback, and Brook trout. Compared to the 7 other monitored lakes in Alger County, Beaver Lake ranks #7 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2024-08-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Beaver Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing14 species recorded
- Deep water39 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Beaver Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Beaver Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Beaver Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 14.5 ft. Phosphorus 7.8 µg/L. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 7.8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Beaver Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Beaver Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 68°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 69°F) and coldest in Jun (about 65°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (65°F) to its warmest (69°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 666 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Beaver Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
39 ft
Surface area
782 acres
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
21 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
4.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
600 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Beaver Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Beaver Lake in Alger County, Michigan — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Beaver Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Beaver Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 9 years of monitoring (2016–2024).
Water clarity
Improving9 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+2.31 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Alger County
Frequently asked questions about Beaver Lake
Where is Beaver Lake?
- Beaver Lake is a lake in Alger County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Beaver Lake?
- Beaver Lake in Alger County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 39 ft. Surface area: 781.7 acres.
Is Beaver Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Beaver Lake?
- Beaver Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in September, from 666 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Beaver Lake?
- Beaver Lake has a maximum depth of 39 feet. The lake covers 781.7 acres.
What fish are in Beaver Lake?
- Fish species found in Beaver Lake include Bluntnose minnow, Brook stickleback, Brook trout, Johnny darter, Northern logperch, Northern pike, Northern redbelly dace, Rainbow trout, Rock bass, Sand shiner, Spottail shiner, Western blacknose dace, White sucker, Yellow perch. Beaver Lake is located in Alger County, Michigan.
Explore Beaver Lake across LakeQuality
16.7 mi away · 75 ft
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Fish species and best lakes in Alger County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where to stay at Michigan's top lakes, each with its readings
Michigan's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
Planning a trip around Pictured Rocks?
Beaver Lake is about 1 miles from Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Pictured Rocks →More lakes in Michigan
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Where this data comes from
43 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- National Park Service Water Resources Division
11NPSWRD_WQX43 samples · 2016–2024
Analytical methods
- Secchi Disk
- Alkaline Persulfate Digestion for Total N and P in Water
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)