Beaver Lake
Keweenaw County, Michigan50 acresView mapDirections
Clarity, phosphorus, and algae sit in the clean band for this region.
- Mesotrophic
- #6 of 11 in the county
- 43 ft max depth
Beaver Lake in Keweenaw County, Michigan has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 8.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12.9 µg/L. Surface area: 50.1 acres.
- Clarity
- 8.9 ft
- Typical in September
- 68°F
- Max depth
- ~43 ft est.
- Area
- 50 acres
- Type
- Mesotrophic
- Trend
- ↓ Declining
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Beaver Lake is a 50-acre mesotrophic lake in Keweenaw County, Michigan with an estimated average depth of about 43 feet. Water quality is graded B based on 1 sampling years through 2024. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 16 documented fish species including Bluntnose minnow, Brook stickleback, and Brook trout. Compared to the 10 other monitored lakes in Keweenaw County, Beaver Lake ranks #6 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2024-08-20. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Beaver Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing16 species recorded
Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
The B is nutrients and algae, not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water Quality Grade: B (Good)
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.9 ft. Phosphorus 12.9 µg/L. TSI 43. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 8.9 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 12.9 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 43 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Water Temperature
Beaver Lake typically sits around 68°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 68°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 70°F) and coldest in May (about 49°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 512 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Beaver Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~43 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~14 ft est. |
| Surface Area | 50 acres |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Michigan has not published bathymetry for Beaver Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Fish Species
Click a species to see every graded lake where it is documented.
Fishing Beaver Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↓ Declining
Based on 9 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↓ Declining | -0.07 m/yr | 9 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +1.79 µg/L/yr | 9 |
County Ranking
Ranked #6 of 11 lakes in Keweenaw County
Nearby Lakes in Keweenaw County
Frequently asked questions about Beaver Lake
Where is Beaver Lake?
- Beaver Lake is a lake in Keweenaw County, Michigan. LakeQuality grades it B for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Beaver Lake?
- Beaver Lake in Keweenaw County, Michigan has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 8.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 12.9 µg/L. Surface area: 50.1 acres.
Is Beaver Lake safe to swim in?
- The B is nutrients and algae, 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 512 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?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Beaver Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 43 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 50.1 acres.
What fish are in Beaver Lake?
- Fish species found in Beaver Lake include Bluntnose minnow, Brook stickleback, Brook trout, Brown bullhead, Johnny darter, Lake herring, 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 Keweenaw County, Michigan.
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Moderate nutrients, good water quality
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Where this data comes from
61 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_WQX61 samples · 2016–2024
Analytical methods
- Secchi Disk
- Alkaline Persulfate Digestion for Total N and P in Water
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)