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LakeQuality

Colwell Lake

Schoolcraft County, Michigan130 acresView mapDirections

No nutrient or algae sampling on record from EGLE for this lake.

Max depth
25 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
130 acres
Surface area
Shoreline
0.8 mi
Measured length
  • 25 ft max depth
  • Public access

Colwell Lake in Schoolcraft County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 25 ft. Surface area: 130 acres.

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Water clarity at Colwell Lake

Clear water. Across summers from 2018 to 2023, Colwell Lake averaged 3.57 m (12 ft) of visibility down into the water, so you can typically see several feet down in midsummer. This lake sits close to the line between clarity classes, so treat the label as approximate and the depth reading as the real number.

Nobody has taken a water sample here that we can find. Michigan's environmental agency measures clarity on lakes like this one from satellite images instead, which is why this page reports how clear the water is and no phosphorus or algae readings.

Clear is not the same as clean. A lake can be easy to see through and still carry high nutrient levels, and a naturally tea-stained lake can be perfectly healthy. The nutrient and algae readings on other lakes come from phosphorus and chlorophyll-a measured in a laboratory, and clarity alone cannot stand in for them.

The same satellite images put summer algae here at roughly 3.65 micrograms per litre. Estimating algae from orbit is far less exact than measuring clarity, so that figure is worth knowing and is not part of any rating.

Colwell Lake is a 130-acre lake in Schoolcraft County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 25 feet (13-foot average). Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Colwell Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Boat launch1 documented ramp
  • Camping2 public campgrounds nearby

Swimming conditions

No reading

Not rated

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Colwell 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.

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Water quality measurements for Colwell Lake

These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Colwell Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

No clarity data. TSI undefined.

Ask about Colwell Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Lake Details

Max depth

25 ft

Average depth

13 ft

Surface area

130 acres

Shoreline

0.8 mi

Public access

Yes

Listed by EGLE

Recreation & Access

1
Boat Landings
Yes
Public Access
2
Campgrounds
  • Colwell LakePublic

Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps

Public campgrounds near Colwell Lake

  • Colwell Lake Campground0.4 kmReserve
  • Colwell Lake Recreation Area0.5 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 Colwell Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Colwell Lake in Schoolcraft 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 Colwell Lake

Prices for Oct 16–18, 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.

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Fishing Colwell Lake

Nearby Lakes in Schoolcraft County

Frequently asked questions about Colwell Lake

Where is Colwell Lake?

Colwell Lake is a lake in Schoolcraft County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Colwell Lake?

Colwell Lake in Schoolcraft County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 25 ft. Surface area: 130 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Colwell Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

How deep is Colwell Lake?

Colwell Lake has a maximum depth of 25 feet and an average depth of 13 feet. The lake covers 130 acres.

Are there boat ramps on Colwell Lake?

Colwell Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Colwell Lake. Public access is listed as yes.

Access on this page ↑

Can I fish at Colwell Lake?

Colwell Lake has 1 documented boat landing 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.

Access on this page ↑

Are there campgrounds on Colwell Lake?

Colwell Lake has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Colwell Lake Campground, Colwell Lake Recreation Area. 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.

Access on this page ↑

Where this data comes from

Measurements for Colwell Lake come from the EPA Water Quality Portal. Per-sample source details are not recorded for this lake.

Other records on this page

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory

Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles