Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Miners Lake

Alger County, Michigan15 acresView mapDirections

EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Miners Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
6.3 ft
Murkier than most
Secchi · sampled 2024
Phosphorus
15.7 µg/L
Typical for Michigan
Measured by EGLE
Water temp
~57°F
Typical for Sep · EPA WQP
Max depth
15 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
15 acres
Surface area
Type
Mesotrophic
Trophic class
  • Mesotrophic
  • 15 ft max depth

Miners Lake in Alger County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 15 ft. Surface area: 14.9 acres.

Loading map…

Free interactive depth-contour map of Miners Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 15 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.

Miners Lake is a 15-acre mesotrophic lake in Alger County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 15 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 7 other monitored lakes in Alger County, Miners Lake ranks #4 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2024-08-26. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Low 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 Miners 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.

Get alerts for Miners Lake →

Water quality measurements for Miners Lake

These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Miners 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 6.3 ft. Phosphorus 15.7 µg/L. TSI 47.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)6.3ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorus15.7µg/LGood
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.47Mesotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Miners Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Water Temperature

Miners Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 59°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 61°F) and coldest in Jun (about 56°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
56°
Jun
61°
Jul
60°
Aug
57°
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (56°F) to its warmest (61°F).

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 602 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Miners Lake water temperature breakdown →

Lake Details

Max depth

15 ft

Surface area

15 acres

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Miners Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Miners 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 Miners 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 Miners Lake’s readings

Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.


Or email

Fishing Miners Lake

Based on 9 years of monitoring (2016–2024).

  • Water clarity

    Stable

    9 years

  • Phosphorus

    Worsening

    +1.41 µg/L/yr9 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in Alger County

Frequently asked questions about Miners Lake

Where is Miners Lake?

Miners 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 Miners Lake?

Miners Lake in Alger County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 15.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 15 ft. Surface area: 14.9 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Miners Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

What is the water temperature of Miners Lake?

Miners Lake typically sits around 57°F at the surface in September, from 602 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

Temp on this page ↑

How deep is Miners Lake?

Miners Lake has a maximum depth of 15 feet. The lake covers 14.9 acres.

Planning a trip around Pictured Rocks?

Miners Lake is about 12 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 →

Where this data comes from

52 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 Division11NPSWRD_WQX52 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.