Chapel Lake
Alger County, Michigan66 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Chapel Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 31 ft max depth
Chapel Lake in Alger County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 18.1 µg/L. Surface area: 65.9 acres.
Chapel Lake is a 66-acre mesotrophic lake in Alger County, Michigan with an estimated average depth of about 31 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 7 other monitored lakes in Alger County, Chapel Lake ranks #5 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2024-08-19. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Chapel Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping1 public campground nearby
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 Chapel 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 Chapel Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Chapel Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.9 ft. Phosphorus 18.1 µg/L. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.9ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 18.1µg/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. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Chapel Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Chapel Lake typically sits around 48°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 50°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 51°F) and coldest in Jun (about 48°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (48°F) to its warmest (51°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 1,392 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Chapel Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~31 ft est.
Surface area
66 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 Chapel Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
10 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.6 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
617 ft
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.
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Chapel Lake
- Chapel Beach2.2 km
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Chapel Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Chapel 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 Chapel Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Michigan’s top lakes →
Follow Chapel Lake’s readings
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Fishing Chapel Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 9 years of monitoring (2016–2024).
Water clarity
Stable9 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.69 µg/L/yr9 years
Nearby Lakes in Alger County
Frequently asked questions about Chapel Lake
Where is Chapel Lake?
- Chapel 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 Chapel Lake?
- Chapel Lake in Alger County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 18.1 µg/L. Surface area: 65.9 acres.
Is Chapel 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 Chapel Lake?
- Chapel Lake typically sits around 48°F at the surface in September, from 1,392 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Chapel Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Chapel Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 31 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 65.9 acres.
Are there campgrounds on Chapel Lake?
- Chapel Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Chapel Beach. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Chapel Lake across LakeQuality
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Michigan
Fish species and best lakes in Alger County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Top lakes and where to stay in the Upper Peninsula area
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?
Chapel Lake is about 7 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
Other Lakes in Michigan
Mesotrophic Lakes in Michigan
Where this data comes from
54 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_WQX54 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)
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles