Indian Lake
Kalkaska County, Michigan42 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Indian Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Public access
- Limited data
Indian Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.5 ft visibility. Surface area: 42.3 acres.
Indian Lake is a 42-acre lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 2 documented fish species including Lake herring and Shorthead redhorse. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2021-09-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Indian Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Indian 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 Indian Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Indian 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 13.5 ft. TSI 40.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.5ft | 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. | 40 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Indian Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Surface area
42 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
No bathymetric survey has been published for Indian Lake, so its depth is not documented here.
Recreation & Access
- Indian 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 Indian Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Indian Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 8 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving8 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.02 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.41 µg/L/yr7 years
Nearby Lakes in Kalkaska County
Frequently asked questions about Indian Lake
Where is Indian Lake?
- Indian Lake is a lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Indian Lake?
- Indian Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.5 ft visibility. Surface area: 42.3 acres.
Is Indian Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What fish are in Indian Lake?
- Fish species found in Indian Lake include Lake herring, Shorthead redhorse. Indian Lake is located in Kalkaska County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Indian Lake?
- Indian Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Indian Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Indian Lake?
- Indian 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 Indian Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
80 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS80 samples · 2016–2021
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory