Hamilton Lake
Dickinson County, Michigan76 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Hamilton Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 31 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Hamilton Lake in Dickinson County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 31 ft. Surface area: 76.2 acres.
Hamilton Lake is a 76-acre lake in Dickinson County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 31 feet. Phosphorus level is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Hamilton Lake covers about 76 acres in Dickinson County. It has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Hamilton Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Hamilton Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.8 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Deep water31 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Hamilton Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Hamilton 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 Hamilton Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Hamilton 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 11.8 ft. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11.8ft | 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. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Hamilton Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
31 ft
Surface area
76 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Hamilton 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 Hamilton Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Hamilton Lake in Dickinson 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 Hamilton Lake
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Fishing Hamilton Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2016–2022).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.44 µg/L/yr4 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.27 µg/L/yr2 years
EPA Impairment Status
Hamilton 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 MI040301080407-01 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Dickinson County
Frequently asked questions about Hamilton Lake
Where is Hamilton Lake?
- Hamilton Lake is a lake in Dickinson County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Hamilton Lake?
- Hamilton Lake in Dickinson County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 31 ft. Surface area: 76.2 acres.
Is Hamilton Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Hamilton Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Hamilton Lake?
- Hamilton Lake has a maximum depth of 31 feet. The lake covers 76.2 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Hamilton Lake?
- Hamilton Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Hamilton Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Hamilton Lake?
- Hamilton 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 Hamilton Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
63 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS63 samples · 2016–2022
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory