Upper Woodcock Lake
Benzie County, Michigan34 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Upper Woodcock Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 45 ft max depth
- Limited data
Upper Woodcock Lake in Benzie County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 45 ft. Surface area: 33.6 acres.
Upper Woodcock Lake is a 34-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Benzie County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 45 feet. The lake supports 9 documented fish species including Bluntnose minnow, Common shiner, and Creek chub. Compared to the 20 other monitored lakes in Benzie County, Upper Woodcock Lake ranks #15 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Upper Woodcock Lake covers about 34 acres in Benzie County. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Upper Woodcock Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Upper Woodcock Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11 ft of visibility
- Fishing9 species recorded
- Deep water45 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Upper Woodcock 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 Woodcock Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Upper Woodcock 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 11 ft. Phosphorus 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.7 µg/L. TSI 37.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 7µg/L | Measured, not scored The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.7µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 37 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Upper Woodcock Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Upper Woodcock Lake typically sits around 56°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 54°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 56°F) and coldest in May (about 48°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (48°F) to its warmest (56°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 127 field readings (2022–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Upper Woodcock Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
45 ft
Surface area
34 acres
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Upper Woodcock Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Upper Woodcock 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 Woodcock Lake
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Fish Species
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Fishing Upper Woodcock Lake
Nearby Lakes in Benzie County
Frequently asked questions about Upper Woodcock Lake
Where is Upper Woodcock Lake?
- Upper Woodcock 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 Woodcock Lake?
- Upper Woodcock Lake in Benzie County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 7 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.7 µg/L. Maximum depth: 45 ft. Surface area: 33.6 acres.
Is Upper Woodcock 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 Upper Woodcock Lake?
- Upper Woodcock Lake typically sits around 56°F at the surface in September, from 127 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2022–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Upper Woodcock Lake?
- Upper Woodcock Lake has a maximum depth of 45 feet. The lake covers 33.6 acres.
What fish are in Upper Woodcock Lake?
- Fish species found in Upper Woodcock Lake include Bluntnose minnow, Common shiner, Creek chub, Hornyhead chub, Mimic shiner, Northern longear sunfish, Rock bass, Rosyface shiner, Sand shiner. Upper Woodcock Lake is located in Benzie County, Michigan.
Explore Upper Woodcock Lake across LakeQuality
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Planning a trip around Sleeping Bear Dunes?
Upper Woodcock Lake is about 17 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
Other Lakes in Michigan
Oligotrophic Lakes in Michigan
Where this data comes from
16 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- Michigan EGLE - MiCorps
21MICH_MICORPS16 samples · 2022
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 445.0 ~ EPA; Chlorophyll and Pheophytin in Algae by Fluorescence
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.