Lime Lake
Benzie County, Michigan16 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Lime Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 25 ft max depth
- Limited data
Lime Lake in Benzie County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 25 ft. Surface area: 16.2 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Lime Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 25 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Lime Lake is a 16-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Benzie County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 25 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 15 documented fish species including Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, and Brown bullhead. Compared to the 20 other monitored lakes in Benzie County, Lime Lake ranks #18 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-09-22. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Lime Lake covers about 16 acres in Benzie County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Lime Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Lime Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water17.5 ft of visibility
- Fishing15 species recorded
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Lime 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 Lime Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Lime 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 17.5 ft down. Phosphorus 5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.3 µg/L. TSI 32.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 17.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 5µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.3µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 32 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Lime Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Lime Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 65°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 68°F) and coldest in May (about 55°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (55°F) to its warmest (68°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 80 field readings (2023–2023) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Lime Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
25 ft
Surface area
16 acres
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.2 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
823 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Lime Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Lime Lake in Benzie 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 Lime Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Michigan’s top lakes →
Follow Lime Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Lime Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2021–2023). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable0 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Benzie County
Frequently asked questions about Lime Lake
Where is Lime Lake?
- Lime Lake is a lake in Benzie County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Lime Lake?
- Lime Lake in Benzie County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 17.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 25 ft. Surface area: 16.2 acres.
Is Lime Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Lime Lake?
- Lime Lake typically sits around 67°F at the surface in September, from 80 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2023–2023). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Lime Lake?
- Lime Lake has a maximum depth of 25 feet. The lake covers 16.2 acres.
What fish are in Lime Lake?
- Fish species found in Lime Lake include Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, Brown bullhead, Grass pickerel, Green sunfish, Lake herring, Largemouth bass, Northern longear sunfish, Northern pike, Pumpkinseed, Warmouth, Western banded killifish, White sucker, Yellow bullhead, Yellow perch. Lime Lake is located in Benzie County, Michigan.
Explore Lime Lake across LakeQuality
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Fish species and best lakes in Benzie County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Planning a trip around Sleeping Bear Dunes?
Lime Lake is about 13 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 →More lakes in Michigan
Other Lakes in Michigan
Oligotrophic Lakes in Michigan
Where this data comes from
17 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS17 samples · 2023
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
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)