Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Island Lake

Grand Traverse County, Michigan111 acresView mapDirections

EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Island Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
17 ft
Clearer than most
Secchi · sampled 2022
Area
111 acres
Surface area
Trend
Improving
7 years of samples
  • Limited data

Island Lake in Grand Traverse County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17 ft visibility. Surface area: 111.2 acres.

Loading map…

Island Lake is a 111-acre lake in Grand Traverse County, Michigan. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 4 documented fish species including Largemouth bass, Pumpkinseed, and Walleye.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Island Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Clear water17 ft of visibility
  • Fishing4 species recorded

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

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

Whether Island 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.

Compare swimming lakes near Traverse City →

Get alerts for Island Lake →

Water quality measurements for Island Lake

These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Island 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 ft down. TSI 36.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)17ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorusNo 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.36Oligotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.

Ask about Island Lake

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

Lake Details

Surface area

111 acres

No bathymetric survey has been published for Island Lake, so its depth is not documented here.

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Island Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Island 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 Island Lake

Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Michigan’s top lakes →

Follow Island Lake’s readings

Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.


Or email

Fish Species

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Island Lake

Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).

  • Water clarity

    Improving

    7 years

  • Phosphorus

    Improving

    -0.41 µg/L/yr7 years

  • Chlorophyll-a

    Worsening

    +0.06 µg/L/yr7 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in Grand Traverse County

Frequently asked questions about Island Lake

Where is Island Lake?

Island 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 Island Lake?

Island Lake in Grand Traverse County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17 ft visibility. Surface area: 111.2 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Island Lake safe to swim in?

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

Swimming on this page ↑

What fish are in Island Lake?

Fish species found in Island Lake include Largemouth bass, Pumpkinseed, Walleye, Yellow perch. Island Lake is located in Grand Traverse County, Michigan.

Fish on this page ↑

Planning a trip around Sleeping Bear Dunes?

Island Lake is about 33 miles from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.

Best time to visit Sleeping Bear Dunes →

Oligotrophic Lakes in Michigan

Where this data comes from

75 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 SocietyNALMS75 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.