Ellen Lake
Iron County, Michigan140 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Ellen Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 73 ft max depth
Ellen Lake in Iron County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 73 ft. Surface area: 139.9 acres.
Ellen Lake is a 140-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Iron County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 73 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Compared to the 20 other monitored lakes in Iron County, Ellen Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-08-24. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Ellen Lake covers about 140 acres in Iron County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Ellen Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Ellen Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17.3 ft of visibility
- Deep water73 ft surveyed max depth
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 Ellen 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 Ellen Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Ellen 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 17.3 ft down. Phosphorus 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.8 µg/L. TSI 35.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 35 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Ellen Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Ellen Lake typically sits around 53°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 51°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 53°F) and coldest in Jun (about 49°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (49°F) to its warmest (53°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 167 field readings (2023–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Ellen Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
73 ft
Surface area
140 acres
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Ellen Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Ellen Lake in Iron 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 Ellen Lake
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Fishing Ellen Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 8 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving7 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.4 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.15 µg/L/yr5 years
Nearby Lakes in Iron County
Frequently asked questions about Ellen Lake
Where is Ellen Lake?
- Ellen Lake is a lake in Iron County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ellen Lake?
- Ellen Lake in Iron County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 73 ft. Surface area: 139.9 acres.
Is Ellen 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 Ellen Lake?
- Ellen Lake typically sits around 53°F at the surface in August, from 167 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2023–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Ellen Lake?
- Ellen Lake has a maximum depth of 73 feet. The lake covers 139.9 acres.
Explore Ellen Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
123 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS123 samples · 2016–2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
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.