Is it safe to swim in lakes near Traverse City?

That is a call for Michigan's water agency and the county health department, who post current advisories. 16 lakes within driving distance of Traverse City pass the low-algae screen (favourable clarity and nutrient readings, chlorophyll-a under 15 µg/L, public access). The top pick on those readings is Spider Lake in Grand Traverse County, 8.5 miles away. Bacteria can spike after heavy rain, so always check the current advisories before you swim.

Which lakes near Traverse City have bacteria testing?

None of the lakes near Traverse City have enough recent bacteria samples on record, so these lakes are screened on water clarity and algae (chlorophyll-a) instead. Always check posted advisories before swimming.

What is the cleanest swimming lake near Traverse City?

Spider Lake (Grand Traverse County) is the cleanest swim lake near Traverse City on measured clarity and nutrients, with 12 ft of water clarity.

Swimming Lakes Near Traverse City, MI: Clarity, Algae and Bacteria Readings (2026)

16 lakes within driving distance of Traverse City, Michigan pass the low-algae screen — favourable clarity and nutrient readings, low algae, and public access. 0 have direct bacteria (E. coli) testing on record. Filtered for the clearest, lowest-nutrient readings in the sampling record, low algae (chlorophyll-a under 15 µg/L), and public access. Not a swimming clearance: always check local advisories on the day you swim.

A moderate cluster of 16 measured lakes lies within reach of Traverse City. Spider Lake has the lowest nutrient and algae readings of the set.

The swimming-specific ranking layered on top of the readings is what produces the list below: a lake with clean readings that does not also support the swimming use case is less useful than a decent one that does.

#	Lake	County	Bacteria	Distance	Clarity	Depth
1	Spider Lake	Grand Traverse	Low algae	8.5 mi	12 ft	-
2	Rennie Lake	Grand Traverse	Low algae	10 mi	14 ft	27 ft
3	Ransom Lake	Benzie	Limited data	10.6 mi	15 ft	-
4	Lake View	Benzie	Limited data	12.1 mi	18 ft	-
5	Upper Woodcock Lake	Benzie	Limited data	13.5 mi	11 ft	45 ft
6	Lower Woodcock Lake	Benzie	Limited data	13.6 mi	12.3 ft	-
7	Lime Lake	Benzie	Limited data	15.3 mi	17.5 ft	25 ft
8	Brooks Lake	Leelanau	Low algae	17.1 mi	9.5 ft	-
9	Fisher Lake	Leelanau	Low algae	18.5 mi	-	-
10	Lake Leelanau	Leelanau	Limited data	19.6 mi	16 ft	-
11	Otter Lake	Benzie	Limited data	21.7 mi	12 ft	-
12	Little Platte Lake	Benzie	Limited data	22 mi	6.5 ft	8 ft
13	South Bar Lake	Leelanau	Low algae	22.1 mi	8.5 ft	13 ft
14	Big Platte Lake	Benzie	Limited data	24.6 mi	14 ft	-
15	Loon Lake	Benzie	Limited data	25.3 mi	12 ft	-
16	Round Lake	Benzie	Limited data	28.1 mi	15 ft	-

Other activities near Traverse City

Fishing near Traverse City →Kayaking near Traverse City →Boating near Traverse City →All lakes near Traverse City →

Where to stay near Traverse City

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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.