Trapper'S Lake
Alger County, MichiganView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Trapper'S Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 35 ft max depth
Trapper'S Lake in Alger County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7.8 µg/L.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Trapper'S Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 15 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Trapper'S Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Alger County, Michigan with an estimated average depth of about 35 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Compared to the 7 other monitored lakes in Alger County, Trapper'S Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2024-08-21. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Trapper'S Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
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 Trapper'S 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 Trapper'S Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Trapper'S Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.7 ft. Phosphorus 7.8 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 7.7ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 7.8µg/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 Trapper'S Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Trapper'S Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 72°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in Jun (about 70°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (70°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 370 field readings (2012–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Trapper'S Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~35 ft est.
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Michigan has not published bathymetry for Trapper'S Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
67 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.9 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
627 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 Trapper'S Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Trapper'S 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 Trapper'S Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Trapper'S Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 9 years of monitoring (2016–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening9 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+4.82 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Alger County
Frequently asked questions about Trapper'S Lake
Where is Trapper'S Lake?
- Trapper'S 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 Trapper'S Lake?
- Trapper'S Lake in Alger County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7.8 µg/L.
Is Trapper'S 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 Trapper'S Lake?
- Trapper'S Lake typically sits around 71°F at the surface in September, from 370 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2012–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Trapper'S Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Trapper'S Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 35 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Explore Trapper'S Lake across LakeQuality
15.4 mi away · 75 ft
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Planning a trip around Pictured Rocks?
Trapper'S Lake is about 2 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 →More lakes in Michigan
Other Lakes in Michigan
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Where this data comes from
33 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_WQX33 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)