Fife Lake
Grand Traverse County, Michigan597 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Fife Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 55 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Fife Lake in Grand Traverse County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.7 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 55 ft. Surface area: 597.2 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Fife Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 55 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Fife Lake is a 597-acre lake in Grand Traverse County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 55 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 2 documented fish species including Johnny darter and Smallmouth bass. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2024-07-01. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Fife Lake covers about 600 acres in Grand Traverse County. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Fife Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Fife Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.7 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Deep water55 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Fife 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 Fife Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Fife 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 13.7 ft. TSI 39.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.7ft | 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 Fife Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
55 ft
Surface area
597 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
7 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3.7 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,010 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Fife LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Fife Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Fife Lake in Grand Traverse 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 Fife Lake
Prices for Oct 30–Nov 1, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Fife Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2019–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Nearby Lakes in Grand Traverse County
Frequently asked questions about Fife Lake
Where is Fife Lake?
- Fife Lake is a lake in Grand Traverse County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Fife Lake?
- Fife Lake in Grand Traverse County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.7 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 55 ft. Surface area: 597.2 acres.
Is Fife Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Fife Lake?
- Fife Lake has a maximum depth of 55 feet. The lake covers 597.2 acres.
What fish are in Fife Lake?
- Fish species found in Fife Lake include Johnny darter, Smallmouth bass. Fife Lake is located in Grand Traverse County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Fife Lake?
- Fife Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Fife Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Fife Lake?
- Fife 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.
Explore Fife Lake across LakeQuality
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
5 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2019–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS5 samples · 2019–2024
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)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory