Long Lake
Grand Traverse County, Michigan2,911 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Long Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 88 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Long Lake in Grand Traverse County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 24.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 88 ft. Surface area: 2911.4 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Long Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 88 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Long Lake is a 2,911-acre lake in Grand Traverse County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 88 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 40 documented fish species including Blackchin shiner, Blacknose shiner, and Blackside darter. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-08. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Long Lake covers about 2,900 acres in Grand Traverse County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Long Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Long Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water24.3 ft of visibility
- Fishing40 species recorded
- Deep water88 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water2,911 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Long 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 Long Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Long 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 24.3 ft down. TSI 31.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 24.3ft | 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. | 31 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Long Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
88 ft
Surface area
2,911 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Long Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Long 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 Long Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Long Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2018–2023).
Water clarity
Improving5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.52 µg/L/yr5 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.04 µg/L/yr5 years
Nearby Lakes in Grand Traverse County
Frequently asked questions about Long Lake
Where is Long Lake?
- Long 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 Long Lake?
- Long Lake in Grand Traverse County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 24.3 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 88 ft. Surface area: 2911.4 acres.
Is Long Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Long Lake?
- Long Lake has a maximum depth of 88 feet. The lake covers 2911.4 acres.
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 Grand Traverse County, Michigan.
Can I fish at Long Lake?
- Public access to Long Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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 Long Lake across LakeQuality
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Fish species and best lakes in Grand Traverse County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where to stay at Michigan's top lakes, each with its readings
Michigan's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
Planning a trip around Sleeping Bear Dunes?
Long Lake is about 20 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
65 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2018–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS65 samples · 2018–2022
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.