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LakeQuality

Long Lake

Benzie County, Michigan327 acresView mapDirections

NR
Not rated

Not Rated: one monitoring station are on record, but they measured water clarity only. LakeQuality’s A–F method grades total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity; clarity is shown, not scored.

Water temp
No reading
No gauge
Clarity
9 ft
Secchi · sampled 2022
Level
No reading
No gauge
Trend
Improving
4 years of samples
  • Limited data

Long Lake in Benzie County, Michigan is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 9 ft visibility. Surface area: 326.8 acres.

Clarity
9 ft
Area
327 acres
Trend
Improving
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Stays via Stay22

Stays near Long Lake

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

Prices for Sep 11–13, 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 →

Watch Long Lake’s letter

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Why Long Lake has no grade

Long Lake has monitoring on record from one station, but only water clarity was measured. LakeQuality’s A–F letter uses total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity against EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes. With none of those grading measurements on record, Long Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 9-foot median from 29 readings collected 2019–2022 is still shown as clarity, but clarity alone cannot earn a letter.

Not Rated is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.

Sampling is run by EGLE and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.

Long Lake is a 327-acre lake in Benzie County, Michigan. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 40 documented fish species including Blackchin shiner, Blacknose shiner, and Blackside darter.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-30. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.

What Long Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Fishing40 species recorded

Swimming Safety

Not rated

Limited data

The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Compare the safest swimming lakes near Traverse City

Get alerts for Long Lake

Water quality measurements for Long Lake

These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.

Moderate clarity, visible to about 9 ft. TSI 45.

MetricValueGrade
Water Clarity (Secchi Depth)9 ftNot graded
PhosphorusNo recent samples
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No recent samples
Trophic State Index (TSI)45Mesotrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Lake Details

CharacteristicValue
Surface Area327 acres

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

Fish Species

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

Fishing Long Lake

Based on 4 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).

MetricTrendChange/YearYears
Water Clarity Improving+1.102 m/yr4
Phosphorus Stable0 µg/L/yr3
Chlorophyll-a Improving-2.93 µg/L/yr4
See year-by-year chart →

Graded lakes near Long Lake

Long Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.

Nearby Lakes in Benzie County

Frequently asked questions about Long Lake

Where is Long Lake?

Long Lake is a lake in Benzie County, Michigan. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.

What is the water quality grade for Long Lake?

Long Lake in Benzie County, Michigan is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 9 ft visibility. Surface area: 326.8 acres.

Is Long Lake safe to swim in?

The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

What fish are in Long Lake?

Fish species found in Long Lake include Blackchin shiner, Blacknose shiner, Blackside darter, Blackstripe topminnow, Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, Brook silverside, Brown bullhead, Central mudminnow, Central stoneroller, Creek chub, Golden redhorse, Golden shiner, Grass pickerel, Green sunfish, Hornyhead chub, Iowa darter, Johnny darter, Lake herring, Lake whitefish, Largemouth bass, Longnose gar, Mimic shiner, Northern logperch, Northern longear sunfish, Northern pearl dace, Northern pike, Pumpkinseed, Rainbow trout, Rock bass, Sand shiner, Smallmouth bass, Spotted gar, Striped shiner, Walleye, Warmouth, Western banded killifish, White sucker, Yellow bullhead, Yellow perch. Long Lake is located in Benzie County, Michigan.

Planning a trip around Sleeping Bear Dunes?

Long Lake is about 18 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

Where this data comes from

29 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2019–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.

Collected and reported by

  • North American Lake Management SocietyNALMS29 samples · 2019–2022
Monitoring station identifiers (1)

Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.