Upper Herring Lake
Benzie County, Michigan573 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Upper Herring Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 25 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Upper Herring Lake in Benzie County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 25 ft. Surface area: 572.5 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Upper Herring Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 25 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Upper Herring Lake is a 573-acre lake in Benzie County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 25 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 18 documented fish species including Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, and Brown bullhead. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-03. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Upper Herring Lake covers about 570 acres in Benzie County. It has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Upper Herring Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Upper Herring Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing18 species recorded
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Upper Herring 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 Upper Herring Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Upper Herring 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 8 ft. TSI 47.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 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. | 47 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Upper Herring Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
25 ft
Surface area
573 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Upper Herring LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Upper Herring Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Upper Herring Lake in Benzie 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 Upper Herring Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Upper Herring Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving7 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.32 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Benzie County
Frequently asked questions about Upper Herring Lake
Where is Upper Herring Lake?
- Upper Herring Lake is a lake in Benzie County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Upper Herring Lake?
- Upper Herring Lake in Benzie County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 25 ft. Surface area: 572.5 acres.
Is Upper Herring Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Upper Herring Lake?
- Upper Herring Lake has a maximum depth of 25 feet. The lake covers 572.5 acres.
What fish are in Upper Herring Lake?
- Fish species found in Upper Herring Lake include Bluegill, Bluntnose minnow, Brown bullhead, Johnny darter, Longnose gar, Mimic shiner, Northern longear sunfish, Northern pike, Pumpkinseed, Rock bass, Sand shiner, Smallmouth bass, Spottail shiner, Walleye, Western banded killifish, White sucker, Yellow bullhead, Yellow perch. Upper Herring Lake is located in Benzie County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Upper Herring Lake?
- Upper Herring Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Upper Herring Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Upper Herring Lake?
- Upper Herring 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.
Explore Upper Herring Lake across LakeQuality
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Planning a trip around Sleeping Bear Dunes?
Upper Herring Lake is about 27 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
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Where this data comes from
64 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS64 samples · 2016–2022
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory