Burt Lake
Cheboygan County, Michigan17,393 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Burt Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 73 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Burt Lake in Cheboygan County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 73 ft. Surface area: 17393 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Burt Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 73 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Burt Lake is a 17,393-acre lake in Cheboygan County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 73 feet. The lake supports 33 documented fish species including Blackchin shiner, Bluegill, and Bluntnose minnow. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-08-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
At about 17,000 acres, Burt Lake is large enough that where you stay decides which shore you see most of. It has 2 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Burt Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Burt Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water15.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch2 documented ramps
- Fishing33 species recorded
- Deep water73 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water17,393 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Burt Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Burt 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 Burt Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Burt Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 15.5 ft down. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 15.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| 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. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Burt Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
73 ft
Surface area
17,393 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
593 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
30.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
581 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Burt Lake Maple BayPublic
- Burt Lake State ParkPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Burt Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Burt Lake in Cheboygan 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 Burt Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Burt Lake → · more Michigan lake trips
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Burt Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Burt Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040700040209-06 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Cheboygan County
Frequently asked questions about Burt Lake
Where is Burt Lake?
- Burt Lake is a lake in Cheboygan County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Burt Lake?
- Burt Lake in Cheboygan County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 73 ft. Surface area: 17393 acres.
Is Burt Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Burt Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Burt Lake?
- Burt Lake has a maximum depth of 73 feet. The lake covers 17393 acres.
What fish are in Burt Lake?
- Fish species found in Burt Lake include Blackchin shiner, Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, Bowfin, Brown bullhead, Brown trout, Central mudminnow, Common shiner, Creek chub, Emerald shiner, Green sunfish, Iowa darter, Johnny darter, Lake herring, Lake sturgeon, Largemouth bass, Longnose gar, Mimic shiner, Mottled sculpin, Northern logperch, Northern pike, Pumpkinseed, Rainbow trout, Rock bass, Sand shiner, Silver lamprey, Silver redhorse, Smallmouth bass, Spottail shiner, Walleye, White sucker, Yellow bullhead, Yellow perch. Burt Lake is located in Cheboygan County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Burt Lake?
- Burt Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Burt Lake Maple Bay, Burt Lake State Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Burt Lake?
- Burt Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Michigan's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Burt Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
13 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS13 samples · 2022
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory