Ross Lake
Schoolcraft County, Michigan196 acresView mapDirections
No nutrient or algae sampling on record from EGLE for this lake.
- 20 ft max depth
- Public access
Ross Lake in Schoolcraft County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 20 ft. Surface area: 196 acres.
Water clarity at Ross Lake
Moderate clarity. Across summers from 2018 to 2023, Ross Lake averaged 1.92 m (6 ft) of visibility down into the water, so visibility is middling in midsummer, which is ordinary for a productive inland lake.
Nobody has taken a water sample here that we can find. Michigan's environmental agency measures clarity on lakes like this one from satellite images instead, which is why this page reports how clear the water is and no phosphorus or algae readings.
Clear is not the same as clean. A lake can be easy to see through and still carry high nutrient levels, and a naturally tea-stained lake can be perfectly healthy. The nutrient and algae readings on other lakes come from phosphorus and chlorophyll-a measured in a laboratory, and clarity alone cannot stand in for them.
The same satellite images put summer algae here at roughly 5 micrograms per litre. Estimating algae from orbit is far less exact than measuring clarity, so that figure is worth knowing and is not part of any rating.
Ross Lake is a 196-acre lake in Schoolcraft County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 20 feet (8-foot average). Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Ross Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingNot rated
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Ross 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 Ross Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Ross Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
No clarity data. TSI undefined.
Ask about Ross Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
20 ft
Average depth
8 ft
Surface area
196 acres
Shoreline
0.9 mi
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Ross Lake State CampgroundPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
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Stays near Ross Lake
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Fishing Ross Lake
Nearby Lakes in Schoolcraft County
Frequently asked questions about Ross Lake
Where is Ross Lake?
- Ross Lake is a lake in Schoolcraft County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Ross Lake?
- Ross Lake in Schoolcraft County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 20 ft. Surface area: 196 acres.
Is Ross Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Ross Lake?
- Ross Lake has a maximum depth of 20 feet and an average depth of 8 feet. The lake covers 196 acres.
Are there boat ramps on Ross Lake?
- Ross Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Ross Lake State Campground. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Ross Lake?
- Ross Lake has 1 documented boat landing 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.
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Where this data comes from
Measurements for Ross Lake come from the EPA Water Quality Portal. Per-sample source details are not recorded for this lake.
Other records on this page
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory