Elk Lake
Antrim County, MichiganView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Elk Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 150 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Elk Lake in Antrim County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 150 ft.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Elk Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 150 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Elk Lake is a lake in Antrim County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 150 feet. The lake supports 27 documented fish species including Blacknose shiner, Bluegill, and Bluntnose minnow. Public access is available with 5 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-01. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Elk Lake has 5 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Elk Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Elk Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch5 documented ramps
- Fishing27 species recorded
- Deep water150 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Elk Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Elk 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 Elk Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Elk 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. TSI 39.
| 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 | 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. | 39 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Elk Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
150 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- AldenPublic
- Torch River BridgePublic
- Rotary ParkPublic
- Elk Rapids MarinaPublic
- Edward C. Grace Memorial HarborPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Elk Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Elk Lake in Antrim 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 Elk Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a trip? Cabins and lodging at Elk Lake → · more Michigan lake trips
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Elk Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Elk 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 MI040601050404-02 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Elk Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Burnette Foods Inc-Elk RapidsElk Rapids · 2.8 mi away · NPDES MI0000485Recent violation
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Antrim County
Frequently asked questions about Elk Lake
Where is Elk Lake?
- Elk Lake is a lake in Antrim County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Elk Lake?
- Elk Lake in Antrim County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 150 ft.
Is Elk Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Elk Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Elk Lake?
- Elk Lake has a maximum depth of 150 feet.
What fish are in Elk Lake?
- Fish species found in Elk Lake include Blacknose shiner, Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, Burbot, Central mudminnow, Common shiner, Creek chub, Iowa darter, Johnny darter, Lake herring, Lake trout, Lake whitefish, Longnose gar, Mottled sculpin, Muskellunge, Ninespine stickleback, Northern logperch, Northern longear sunfish, Northern pike, Northern redbelly dace, Pumpkinseed, Rainbow trout, Rosyface shiner, Sand shiner, Smallmouth bass, White sucker, Yellow perch. Elk Lake is located in Antrim County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Elk Lake?
- Elk Lake has 5 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Alden, Torch River Bridge, Rotary Park, Elk Rapids Marina, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Elk Lake?
- Elk Lake has 5 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 Elk Lake across LakeQuality
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Planning a trip around Sleeping Bear Dunes?
Elk Lake is about 32 miles from Sleeping Bear Dunes 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 Sleeping Bear Dunes →More lakes in Michigan
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Where this data comes from
6 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
NALMS6 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
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory