Little Beaver Lake
Alger County, Michigan40 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Little Beaver Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 30 ft max depth
- Limited data
Little Beaver Lake in Alger County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.2 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 40.2 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Little Beaver Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 30 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Little Beaver Lake is a 40-acre lake in Alger County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 30 feet.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2024-08-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Little Beaver Lake covers about 40 acres in Alger County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Little Beaver Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Little Beaver Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Camping2 public campgrounds nearby
- Deep water30 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Little Beaver 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 Little Beaver Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Little Beaver Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 6.2 ft. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6.2ft | 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. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Little Beaver Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Little Beaver Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 65°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 67°F) and coldest in Jun (about 62°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (62°F) to its warmest (67°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 469 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Little Beaver Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
30 ft
Surface area
40 acres
Recreation & Access
Public campgrounds near Little Beaver Lake
- Little Beaver Campground0.1 kmReserve
- Little Beaver Lake0.1 km
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Little Beaver Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Little Beaver Lake in Alger 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 Little Beaver 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 Little Beaver Lake’s readings
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Fishing Little Beaver Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 9 years of monitoring (2016–2024).
Water clarity
Stable9 years
Nearby Lakes in Alger County
Frequently asked questions about Little Beaver Lake
Where is Little Beaver Lake?
- Little Beaver Lake is a lake in Alger County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Little Beaver Lake?
- Little Beaver Lake in Alger County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.2 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 40.2 acres.
Is Little Beaver 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 Little Beaver Lake?
- Little Beaver Lake typically sits around 66°F at the surface in September, from 469 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Little Beaver Lake?
- Little Beaver Lake has a maximum depth of 30 feet. The lake covers 40.2 acres.
Are there campgrounds on Little Beaver Lake?
- Little Beaver Lake has 2 public campgrounds from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Little Beaver Campground, Little Beaver Lake. This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Little Beaver Lake across LakeQuality
18.2 mi away · 75 ft
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Fish species and best lakes in Alger County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Planning a trip around Pictured Rocks?
Little Beaver Lake is about 2 miles from Pictured Rocks 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 Pictured Rocks →More lakes in Michigan
Other Lakes in Michigan
Eutrophic Lakes in Michigan
Where this data comes from
25 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- National Park Service Water Resources Division
11NPSWRD_WQX25 samples · 2016–2024
Analytical methods
- Secchi Disk
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
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles