Muskegon Lake
Muskegon County, Michigan4,198 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Muskegon Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Impaired · Mercury
- 66 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Muskegon Lake in Muskegon County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 66 ft. Surface area: 4197.7 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Muskegon Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 66 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Muskegon Lake is a 4,198-acre lake in Muskegon County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 66 feet. The lake supports 10 documented fish species including Common carp, Golden redhorse, and Golden shiner. Public access is available with 8 public boat landings.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2021-06-29. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Muskegon Lake covers about 4,200 acres in Muskegon County. It has 8 public boat landings, so a lakefront rental is not the only way to get a boat on the water. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Muskegon Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Muskegon Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10.8 ft of visibility
- Boat launch8 documented ramps
- Fishing10 species recorded
- Deep water66 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water4,198 acres
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Muskegon Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pesticides, pFAS, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Muskegon 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 Muskegon Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Muskegon 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 10.8 ft. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10.8ft | 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. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Muskegon Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
66 ft
Surface area
4,198 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2,680 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
17 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
574 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Grand TruckPublic
- Muskegon RiverPublic
- Fisherman's LandingPublic
- Muskegon State ParkPublic
- Cottage GrovePublic
- Muskegon Log BoomingPublic
Showing 6 of 8 documented landings from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory.
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Muskegon Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Muskegon Lake in Muskegon 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 Muskegon 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 trip? Cabins and lodging at Muskegon Lake → · more Michigan lake trips
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Muskegon Lake
EPA Impairment Status
Muskegon Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MI040601021003-02 · Official waterbody report
Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby
46 EPA-permitted facilities operate within about 5 miles of Muskegon Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits, including 1 classified by the EPA as major discharger. 4 facilities have a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.
- Ceco-B C Cobb Power PltMuskegon · 2.7 mi away · NPDES MI0001520Major
- Former B C Cobb Ash PondsMuskegon · 2.7 mi away · NPDES MI0060248Recent violation
- Mahle Inc-Muskegon Hts ComplexMuskegon Heights · 2.7 mi away · NPDES MI0004057Recent violation
- Muskegon Heights MS4-MuskegonMuskegon Heights · 3.3 mi away · NPDES MI0060065Recent violation
- Mdeq-Rd-Ott/Story SfNorth Muskegon · 4.9 mi away · NPDES MI0053309Recent violation
- Mich Steel IncMuskegon · 0.9 mi away · NPDES MI0025038
Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.
Nearby Lakes in Muskegon County
Frequently asked questions about Muskegon Lake
Where is Muskegon Lake?
- Muskegon Lake is a lake in Muskegon County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Muskegon Lake?
- Muskegon Lake in Muskegon County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10.8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 66 ft. Surface area: 4197.7 acres.
Is Muskegon Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Muskegon Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for mercury, pesticides, pFAS, pCBs. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Muskegon Lake?
- Muskegon Lake has a maximum depth of 66 feet. The lake covers 4197.7 acres.
What fish are in Muskegon Lake?
- Fish species found in Muskegon Lake include Common carp, Golden redhorse, Golden shiner, Lake herring, Shorthead redhorse, Silver redhorse, Spotted sucker, Tadpole madtom, White sucker, Yellow bullhead. Muskegon Lake is located in Muskegon County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Muskegon Lake?
- Muskegon Lake has 8 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Grand Truck, Muskegon River, Fisherman's Landing, Muskegon State Park, among others. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Muskegon Lake?
- Muskegon Lake has 8 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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 Muskegon Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
7 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS7 samples · 2021
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Regulated discharger data from EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES)
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory