Manitou Lake
Leelanau County, Michigan256 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Manitou Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 57 ft max depth
Manitou Lake in Leelanau County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13.1 µg/L. Surface area: 256.1 acres.
Manitou Lake is a 256-acre mesotrophic lake in Leelanau County, Michigan with an estimated average depth of about 57 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 11 other monitored lakes in Leelanau County, Manitou Lake ranks #12 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2024-09-04. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Manitou Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water13.3 ft of visibility
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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 Manitou 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 Manitou Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Manitou Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 13.3 ft. Phosphorus 13.1 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 13.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 13.1µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| 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. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Manitou Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Manitou Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 65°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 66°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 (66°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 830 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Manitou Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~57 ft est.
Surface area
256 acres
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Michigan has not published bathymetry for Manitou Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
636 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Manitou Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Manitou Lake in Leelanau 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 Manitou 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 Manitou Lake’s readings
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Fishing Manitou Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 9 years of monitoring (2016–2024).
Water clarity
Stable9 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+1.61 µg/L/yr8 years
Nearby Lakes in Leelanau County
Frequently asked questions about Manitou Lake
Where is Manitou Lake?
- Manitou Lake is a lake in Leelanau County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Manitou Lake?
- Manitou Lake in Leelanau County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 13.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13.1 µg/L. Surface area: 256.1 acres.
Is Manitou 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 Manitou Lake?
- Manitou Lake typically sits around 65°F at the surface in September, from 830 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Manitou Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Manitou Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 57 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate. The lake covers 256.1 acres.
Explore Manitou Lake across LakeQuality
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Michigan's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
Planning a trip around Sleeping Bear Dunes?
Manitou Lake is about 14 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
Mesotrophic Lakes in Michigan
Where this data comes from
51 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_WQX51 samples · 2016–2024
Analytical methods
- Secchi Disk
- Alkaline Persulfate Digestion for Total N and P in Water
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)