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

How deep is Heron Lake?

Heron Lake has a maximum depth of 40 feet and an average depth of 11 feet. The lake covers 119.8 acres.

Are there boat ramps on Heron Lake?

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

Can I fish at Heron Lake?

Heron 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.

Heron Lake

Oakland County, Michigan120 acresView map Directions

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

Max depth

40 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

120 acres

Surface area

Shoreline

1.2 mi

Measured length

40 ft max depth
Public access

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Heron Lake in Oakland County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 119.8 acres.

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Water clarity at Heron Lake

Clear water. Across summers from 2018 to 2023, Heron Lake averaged 3.62 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 3.6 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.

Heron Lake is a 120-acre lake in Oakland County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 40 feet (11-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 Heron Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Boat launch1 documented ramp
Deep water40 ft surveyed max depth

Swimming conditions

No reading

Not rated

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

Whether Heron 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 Heron Lake

These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Heron 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 Heron Lake

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

Lake Details

Max depth

40 ft

Average depth

11 ft

Surface area

120 acres

Shoreline

1.2 mi

Public access

Yes

Listed by EGLE

Recreation & Access

Boat Landings

Yes

Public Access

Heron 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 Heron Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Heron Lake in Oakland 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 Heron Lake

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Follow Heron Lake’s readings

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Fishing Heron Lake

→ Heron Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)

Nearby Lakes in Oakland County

Valley Lake0.4 miView →Wildwood Lake0.7 miView →Stewart Lake1.2 miView →Eliza Lake2.8 miView →Phipps Lake2.8 miView →Dixie Lake9.8 ft clear—View →

Frequently asked questions about Heron Lake

Where is Heron Lake?: Heron Lake is a lake in Oakland County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Heron Lake?: Heron Lake in Oakland County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 40 ft. Surface area: 119.8 acres.
Is Heron Lake safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Heron Lake?: Heron Lake has a maximum depth of 40 feet and an average depth of 11 feet. The lake covers 119.8 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Heron Lake?: Heron Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Heron Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Heron Lake?: Heron 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.