Michigan

Iron County

Its lakes, by the record · 210 lakes · 24,602 acres

Today in Iron County

Updated 9 Oct 2026, 2:04 am EDT. Get alerts for Iron County lakes

WEATHERCentre of Iron County: Overnight: partly cloudy, 33°F, wind W 3 mph. Friday: patchy fog then sunny, 65°F, wind SSE 0 to 5 mph.

WARNINGSNo weather or fire warnings in effect for Iron County.

FIRECAUTION Wildfire Windy, 0.5 acres. Prescribed burn Brule RX, unknown acres. A planned fire set by land managers.

BURNINGCampfires and debris burning: check today's status with Michigan DNR.

ALGAECAUTION Satellite detected cyanobacteria on Chicagon Lake (about 9% of the lake, 5 Oct 2026), Perch Lake (about 59% of the lake, 6 Oct 2026), Smoky Lake (about 18% of the lake, 5 Oct 2026), Lake Ottawa (about 17% of the lake, 5 Oct 2026), Cable Lake (about 24% of the lake, 1 Oct 2026) and Lake Mitigwaki (about 30% of the lake, 6 Oct 2026). None detected on the other 11 lakes in their latest clear-sky images.

LAUNCHES16 public access sites on 16 lakes: 16 open.

National Weather Service; National Interagency Fire Center; U.S. EPA CyAN satellite; Michigan DHHS; Michigan DNR. Weather, warnings, fires and satellite refresh when you open the page (checked at most hourly).

The lakes of Iron County

210 lakes · 24,602 acres · 77 with measured depth · 16 with a public launch · 44 stocked

Iron County has 210 lakes of 10 acres or more, 193 of them named, covering 24,602 acres of water. The largest is Michigamme Reservoir at 4,867 acres; the deepest measured is Chicagon Lake at 110 ft. Michigan DNR has surveyed the depth of 77 lakes here. Several names repeat: 2 lakes are called Mallard Lake, 2 lakes are called Buck Lake and 2 lakes are called Spring Lake.

Shaded by deepest measured point

not measuredunder 101020305075100+deepest, feet

Lake outlines: Michigan hydrography (lakes of 10 acres or more). Depths: Michigan DNR lake surveys, fetched 7 Oct 2026. County line: U.S. Census TIGER. Not for navigation.

Largest lakes

48 lakes in Iron County cover 100 acres or more. The 12 largest are listed here; the full register of 193 named lakes follows.

Lake	Acres	Deepest	Clarity	Launches	Last stocked
Michigamme Reservoir	4,867	about 40 ft (est.)	7 ft
Peavy Pond	2,347	about 65 ft (est.)	8 ft
Chicagon Lake	1,083	110 ft	13 ft		2026
Perch Lake	1,038	14 ft	7 ft		2016
Smoky Lake	596	60 ft	20 ft		2005
Hagerman Lake	565	50 ft	14 ft		2024
Lake Ottawa	532	about 80 ft (est.)	17 ft		2025
Sunset Lake	531	54 ft			2021
Michigamme Lake	470
Iron Lake	390	45 ft	8 ft		2025
Cable Lake	331	30 ft	6 ft	1	1995
Lake Emily	326	30 ft	8 ft	1	2025

All 193 named lakes, plus 17 unnamed

Lake	Acres	Deepest	Clarity	Launches	Last stocked
Michigamme Reservoir	4,867	about 40 ft (est.)	7 ft
Peavy Pond	2,347	about 65 ft (est.)	8 ft
Chicagon Lake	1,083	110 ft	13 ft		2026
Perch Lake	1,038	14 ft	7 ft		2016
Smoky Lake	596	60 ft	20 ft		2005
Hagerman Lake	565	50 ft	14 ft		2024
Lake Ottawa	532	about 80 ft (est.)	17 ft		2025
Sunset Lake	531	54 ft			2021
Michigamme Lake	470
Iron Lake	390	45 ft	8 ft		2025
Cable Lake	331	30 ft	6 ft	1	1995
Lake Emily	326	30 ft	8 ft	1	2025
Stanley Lake	319	39 ft	9 ft	1	1990
Bull Dam (Little)	306
Golden Lake	274	100 ft	13 ft		2025
Lake Mary	270	48 ft	16 ft	1	2025
Porter Lake	269	33 ft	7 ft
Lake Mitigwaki	261	10 ft	5 ft
Winslow Lake	259	25 ft	7 ft		1995
Shank Lake	246	about 25 ft (est.)	2 ft
Paint Lake	240	15 ft	8 ft
Brule Lake	234	20 ft	4 ft		1993
James Lake	209	10 ft	9 ft		2000
Paint River Pond	208		9 ft
Indian Lake	197	36 ft	12 ft	1	2008
First Fortune Lake	184	70 ft	13 ft	1
Marten Lake	180	6 ft	6 ft
Fence Lake	167	28 ft	10 ft
Lake Sainte Kathryn	166
Mallard Lake, Stambaugh Township	163	about 25 ft (est.)	5 ft
Swan Lake	160	20 ft	10 ft	1	2018
Bone Lake	159	about 35 ft (est.)	6 ft		2003
Homan Lake	153	35 ft
Buck Lake, Mastodon Township	150	30 ft	12 ft		2021
Lake Ellen	139	73 ft	17 ft	1	2026
Light Lake	131	30 ft	9 ft
Silver Lake	131	50 ft
Fire Lake	129	40 ft		1	2000
Second Fortune Lake	128	80 ft	12 ft
East Paint Lake	120	about 25 ft (est.)	5 ft		1994
Tepee Lake	120	35 ft	7 ft
Minnie Lake	117	17 ft	9 ft
Liver Lake	115	18 ft	10 ft
Spring Lake, Hematite Township	111	about 15 ft (est.)	2 ft
Third Fortune Lake	110	55 ft	12 ft
Stager Lake	109	55 ft	12 ft		2026
Wagner Lake	108	about 20 ft (est.)	6 ft
Bass Lake	101	20 ft	7 ft
Camp Lake, Stambaugh Township	98	56 ft	14 ft	1	2012
Gibson Lake	95	23 ft	10 ft		2002
Wildwood Lake	95	17 ft	8 ft
Armstrong Lake	88	about 45 ft (est.)	12 ft
Little Smoky Lake	87	20 ft
Ice Lake	87	about 30 ft (est.)	11 ft		2002
Moccasin Lake	84
Hope Lake	83	about 15 ft (est.)	6 ft
Kennedy Lake	82	about 35 ft (est.)	13 ft
Runkle Lake	80	53 ft	9 ft		2008
Long Lake, Crystal Falls Township	80	about 25 ft (est.)	6 ft
Scott Lake	78	about 50 ft (est.)	9 ft
Robinson Lake	78	20 ft	9 ft
Net River	76				1991
Deer Lake	74	44 ft	10 ft	1	2025
Michigammee River	72
Gilbert Lake	71	32 ft	10 ft
Maggie Lakes (east)	70	about 40 ft (est.)	11 ft		2017
Bela Lake	69	8 ft	4 ft
Upper Holmes Lake, Crystal Falls Township	65	about 35 ft (est.)	11 ft
Webb Lake, Bates Township	64	35 ft	9 ft
Snipe Lake	63	about 35 ft (est.)	11 ft	1	1997
Lake Fifteen	61	25 ft	7 ft
Long Lake, Crystal Falls Township	60	105 ft	14 ft	1	2018
Paint River	59				1988
Bennan Lake	58	about 30 ft (est.)	8 ft
Lower Holmes Lake, Iron River Township	57
Timber Lake	57	about 35 ft (est.)			2025
Lost Lake, Mastodon Township	56	about 30 ft (est.)	9 ft
Curry Lake	55	20 ft	7 ft
Bates Lake, Bates Township	55	about 25 ft (est.)
Lake Sixteen	52	12 ft	5 ft
Railroad Lake	52	52 ft	12 ft		1990
Norway Lake	52	20 ft	10 ft		2023
Hemlock Lake	49	about 30 ft (est.)	5 ft
Lower Holmes Lake, Crystal Falls Township	46	about 30 ft (est.)	10 ft
Anderson Lake	45	about 40 ft (est.)	12 ft
Little Pickerel Lake	45	about 30 ft (est.)	5 ft
Lake Nine	42	about 25 ft (est.)	6 ft
Mitchell Lake	42	12 ft	5 ft	1	1999
Lost Lake, Crystal Falls Township	42	12 ft	8 ft
Mud Lake (Lower)	42	about 20 ft (est.)	6 ft
Maggie Lakes (west)	39	about 35 ft (est.)	10 ft
Wolf Lake	38	about 25 ft (est.)	7 ft
Papoose Lake	37	about 20 ft (est.)	4 ft
Harding Lake	37	15 ft	10 ft
Chara Lake	37	about 25 ft (est.)
Erickson Lake	36	25 ft	16 ft
Little Sundog Lake	36	about 20 ft (est.)	3 ft
Nelson Lake	36	30 ft
Hickman Lake	35	about 20 ft (est.)	3 ft
Chamberlain Lake	35	25 ft			1984
Crotch Lake	35
Houser Lake	35	10 ft	8 ft
Chief Edwards Lake	34	about 35 ft (est.)	8 ft
Petrow Lake	33	9 ft	4 ft
Moose Lake	32	about 25 ft (est.)
Glidden Lake	31	30 ft	9 ft	1	1996
Violet Lake	29	20 ft	8 ft
Nesbit Lake	29	20 ft	12 ft
Holmes Lake	29	about 25 ft (est.)	7 ft	1	1980
Glitter Lake	28	15 ft	5 ft
Lewis Lake	27	18 ft	10 ft
Isaacson Lake	27	about 20 ft (est.)	5 ft
Buddle Lake	27	40 ft	7 ft
Little Tobin Lake	27	about 25 ft (est.)	10 ft
McPherson Lake	26	70 ft
Butler Lake	26	about 20 ft (est.)	5 ft
Upper Holmes Lake, Iron River Township	26	about 30 ft (est.)	6 ft
Dunn Lake	26	about 25 ft (est.)
Little Hagerman Lake	26	about 30 ft (est.)
Three-On Lake	25	45 ft	11 ft
Corbett Lake	24		3 ft
Hardwood Lake	24	about 20 ft (est.)	7 ft
Jingle Lake	23	12 ft	7 ft
Forest Lake	23	about 30 ft (est.)	10 ft		2025
Lake IHM	21	about 35 ft (est.)	13 ft
Elk Lake	21
Dam Lake	21	about 25 ft (est.)	11 ft
Otter Lake	20	about 20 ft (est.)	7 ft
Porcupine Lake	20		13 ft
South Slough	20	about 25 ft (est.)	6 ft
Silk Lake	20	about 35 ft (est.)	5 ft
Plover Lake	19	about 20 ft (est.)
Johnson Lake	19
Beaver Lake	19	about 20 ft (est.)	12 ft
Gages Lake	19	about 20 ft (est.)	6 ft
Ebony Lake	18	about 35 ft (est.)	7 ft
Ponozzo Lake	18	about 20 ft (est.)
Blue Lake (lower)	18	about 30 ft (est.)	10 ft
Pathic Lake	18	about 35 ft (est.)	10 ft
McCutcheon Lake	18	about 20 ft (est.)
Gasley Lake	18
Buck Lake, Hematite Township	18	about 25 ft (est.)	4 ft
Dog Lake	17	about 35 ft (est.)
Michigamme Slough (nor	17	about 20 ft (est.)
Cougar Lake	17	about 25 ft (est.)
Mud Lake (east)	16	about 15 ft (est.)	3 ft
Tinsel Lake	16	about 30 ft (est.)
Mud Lake (Upper)	16	about 20 ft (est.)	10 ft
Ishkote Lake	16
Webb Lake, Iron River Township	15	about 30 ft (est.)
Toots Lake	15	about 35 ft (est.)	8 ft
Ketchum Lake	15	about 25 ft (est.)	4 ft
Emerson Lake	15	about 15 ft (est.)	3 ft		1996
Herbs Lake	14
Doe Lake	14
Spring Lake, Mansfield Township	14	about 20 ft (est.)	12 ft
Dawson Lake	14	21 ft	13 ft		1990
Bearpaw Lake	13	15 ft
LaCrosse Lake	13	10 ft
Morrison Lake	13		11 ft
Rock Lake	13
Mud Lake, Mastodon Township	13		3 ft
Jule Lake	12
Blue Lake (upper)	12		3 ft
Spies Lake	12
Seven Springs Lake	12
Lake Wallace	12
Little Lake Ellen	12	17 ft	6 ft
Knave Lake	12		4 ft
Camp Lake, Crystal Falls Township	12
Little Wolf Lake	12
Murphy Lake	12		6 ft
Michigamme Slough (sou	12
Lake Elizabeth	12		10 ft
Crane Lake	11
Clear Lake	11	55 ft
Wildcat Lake	11
Skyline Lake	11	26 ft			2025
Rookery Lake	11	22 ft	8 ft
Cone Lake	11		6 ft
Balcomb Lake	11
Mud Lake (west)	11	8 ft
Squaw Lake	11
Archie Pond	11		5 ft
Mud Lake, Mastodon Township	11
Trap Lake	11	55 ft
Camp Eight Ponds	11
Mallard Lake, Mastodon Township	11
Bates Lake, Mansfield Township	10		3 ft
Club Lake	10
Glare Lake	10		5 ft
Dishaw Lake	10
Sullivan Lake	10

Acres: Michigan hydrography. Deepest: Michigan DNR survey; "est." marks an older Michigan EGLE estimate, rounded to 5 ft. Clarity: Michigan EGLE satellite averages 2018–23. Launches: Michigan DNR. Stocking: Michigan DNR Fisheries. Fetched 7–8 Oct 2026.

Deepest lakes

3 lakes in Iron County are 100 ft deep or more by Michigan DNR survey. Chicagon Lake is the deepest at 110 ft, then Long Lake, Crystal Falls Township (105 ft), Golden Lake (100 ft) and Second Fortune Lake (80 ft). The depth of the other 116 named lakes has not been surveyed; where an older state estimate exists, the register gives it as an estimate.

Deepest measured point, feet

Chicagon Lake110 ft

Long Lake, Crystal Falls Township105 ft

Golden Lake100 ft

Second Fortune Lake80 ft

Lake Ellen73 ft

First Fortune Lake70 ft

McPherson Lake70 ft

Smoky Lake60 ft

Camp Lake, Stambaugh Township56 ft

Third Fortune Lake55 ft

Michigan DNR lake survey deep points, fetched 7 Oct 2026.

Clearest water

Clarity is the depth at which a black-and-white Secchi disk disappears from view. Across 132 lakes with satellite readings, the middle value in Iron County is 8 ft. The clearest is Smoky Lake at about 20 ft, then Lake Ottawa (17 ft), Lake Ellen (17 ft) and Lake Mary (16 ft). The least clear is Spring Lake, Hematite Township at about 2 ft. Clarity is not a test for bacteria or algae toxins.

Smoky Lake19.6 ft

Lake Ottawa16.7 ft

Lake Ellen16.7 ft

Lake Mary16.1 ft

Erickson Lake15.8 ft

Hagerman Lake14.2 ft

Camp Lake, Stambaugh Township13.9 ft

Long Lake, Crystal Falls Township13.6 ft

First Fortune Lake13.4 ft

Porcupine Lake13.3 ft

Michigan EGLE satellite-derived Secchi depth, averages 2018–23, fetched 7 Oct 2026.

Public access

Michigan DNR lists 16 public access sites on 16 lakes in Iron County; 15 require a Recreation Passport. The other 177 named lakes have no public access site listed by Michigan DNR.

Lake	Site	Facilities
Cable Lake	Cable Lake	1 ramp lane · 3 trailer spaces · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required
Lake Emily	Emily Lake	1 ramp lane · 5 trailer spaces · 2 car spaces · vault toilet · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required
Stanley Lake	Stanley Lake	1 ramp lane · 8 trailer spaces · vault toilet · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required
Lake Mary	Lake Mary	1 ramp lane · 4 trailer spaces · vault toilet · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required
Indian Lake	Indian Lake	1 ramp lane · 5 trailer spaces · vault toilet · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required
First Fortune Lake	Bewabic State Park	1 ramp lane · 16 trailer spaces · 7 car spaces · vault toilet · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required
Swan Lake	Swan Lake	1 ramp lane · 6 trailer spaces · vault toilet · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required
Lake Ellen	Lake Ellen SFCG	1 ramp lane · 2 trailer spaces · 2 car spaces · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required
Fire Lake	Fire Lake	1 ramp lane · 3 trailer spaces · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required
Camp Lake, Stambaugh Township	Camp Lake	1 ramp lane · 2 trailer spaces · 2 car spaces · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required
Deer Lake	Deer Lake SFCG	1 ramp lane · 3 trailer spaces · Recreation Passport required
Snipe Lake	Snipe Lake	1 ramp lane · 2 trailer spaces · 2 car spaces
Long Lake, Crystal Falls Township	Long Lake	1 ramp lane · 4 trailer spaces · 2 car spaces · vault toilet · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required
Mitchell Lake	Mitchell Lake	1 ramp lane · 1 trailer space · Recreation Passport required
Glidden Lake	Glidden Lake SFCG	1 ramp lane · 2 trailer spaces · 1 car space · Recreation Passport required
Holmes Lake	Holmes Lake	1 ramp lane · 2 trailer spaces · 2 car spaces · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required

Michigan DNR boating access sites, fetched 8 Oct 2026.

Stocked lakes

Michigan DNR has stocked 44 lakes in Iron County 1,067 times since 1979. Walleye went into 34 lakes: Bone Lake, Brule Lake, Buck Lake, Mastodon Township, Cable Lake, Camp Lake, Stambaugh Township, Chamberlain Lake, Chicagon Lake, Deer Lake, East Paint Lake, Emerson Lake, Fire Lake, Gibson Lake, Glidden Lake, Hagerman Lake, Ice Lake, Indian Lake, Iron Lake, James Lake, Lake Emily, Lake Mary, Lake Ottawa, Long Lake, Crystal Falls Township, Mitchell Lake, Net River, Norway Lake, Perch Lake, Railroad Lake, Runkle Lake, Snipe Lake, Stager Lake, Stanley Lake, Sunset Lake, Swan Lake and Winslow Lake. The most recent stocking was 2,853 walleye in Chicagon Lake on 26 June 2026. Chicagon Lake, Lake Ottawa, Golden Lake, Lake Ellen, Timber Lake, Forest Lake and Skyline Lake are designated trout lakes (Type A, Type B, Type D), with their own seasons and limits. Rivers and smaller waters stocked in the county: Brule River, Champion Borrow Pit, Cooks Run, Crystal Falls Impoundment, Cummings Borrow Pit, Dead Mans Lake, Deer River and Defiance Creek and 22 more.

Species	Lakes	Where
Walleye	34	Bone Lake, Brule Lake, Buck Lake, Mastodon Township, Cable Lake, Camp Lake, Stambaugh Township and Chamberlain Lake and 28 more
Brook trout	10	Camp Lake, Stambaugh Township, Forest Lake, Lake Ellen, Lake Ottawa, Long Lake, Crystal Falls Township and Norway Lake and 4 more
Rainbow trout	9	Camp Lake, Stambaugh Township, Chicagon Lake, Fire Lake, Golden Lake, Lake Ellen and Lake Mary and 3 more
Yellow perch	8	Cable Lake, Hagerman Lake, Ice Lake, Indian Lake, Iron Lake and Lake Ottawa and 2 more
Splake	6	Chicagon Lake, Golden Lake, Lake Ellen, Lake Ottawa, Long Lake, Crystal Falls Township and Smoky Lake
Northern pike	6	Buck Lake, Mastodon Township, Dawson Lake, Deer Lake, Hagerman Lake, James Lake and Stager Lake
Muskellunge	5	Chicagon Lake, Lake Emily, Smoky Lake, Stanley Lake and Swan Lake
Lake trout	5	Chicagon Lake, Golden Lake, Lake Ottawa, Long Lake, Crystal Falls Township and Smoky Lake
Largemouth bass	5	Buck Lake, Mastodon Township, Holmes Lake, Ice Lake, Maggie Lakes (east) and Mitchell Lake
Brown trout	4	Chicagon Lake, Golden Lake, Lake Ellen and Smoky Lake
White sucker	3	Chicagon Lake, Indian Lake and Runkle Lake
Bluegill	2	Holmes Lake and Maggie Lakes (east)
Lake herring	2	Chicagon Lake and Lake Ottawa
Rainbow smelt	2	Golden Lake and Long Lake, Crystal Falls Township
Smallmouth bass	2	Fire Lake and Golden Lake
Tiger muskellunge	2	Runkle Lake and Swan Lake
Black crappie	1	Perch Lake
Lake whitefish	1	Golden Lake
Fathead minnow	1	Emerson Lake
Spottail shiner	1	Sunset Lake
Golden shiner	1	Sunset Lake
Shortnose cisco	1	Lake Ottawa

1,067 stockings, 1979 to 2026, fish stocked per year on a log scale

2026: 5 stockings, 38,741 fish in 3 lakes.

26 Jun 2026STOCKED2,853 walleye, Chicagon Lake

26 Jun 2026STOCKED6,265 walleye, Stager Lake

24 Jun 2026STOCKED24,778 walleye, Chicagon Lake

2 Jun 2026STOCKED545 muskellunge, Chicagon Lake

28 Apr 2026STOCKED4,300 splake, Lake Ellen

23 Oct 2025STOCKED450 brook trout, Skyline Lake

22 Oct 2025STOCKED3,499 brook trout, Timber Lake

22 Oct 2025STOCKED798 brook trout, Forest Lake

Michigan DNR Fisheries stocking records, fetched 8 Oct 2026. Each stocking is placed by its survey section, so lakes that share a name are kept apart. How we measure

Algae and water testing

Michigan DHHS has records for 3 lakes in Iron County: water samples tested for the toxin microcystin, and bloom reports from the public that may not have been tested. 0 lakes have measured at or above the EPA swimming guideline of 8 ppb at least once.

21 Aug 2025REPORTEDWildwood Lake: 1 earlier report.

4 Aug 2025TESTEDChicagon Lake: 1 water sample, latest 24 Aug 2023; 1 earlier report.

22 Aug 2023TESTEDBrule Lake: 3 water samples, latest 22 Aug 2023; 2 earlier reports.

Michigan DHHS harmful algal bloom records, fetched 7 Oct 2026; U.S. EPA 2019 recreational criteria. Beach E. coli testing is not yet covered here.

Common questions

How many lakes are in Iron County?

210 lakes of 10 acres or more, 193 of them named, in Michigan's hydrography layer. Smaller ponds are not counted.

What is the largest lake in Iron County?

Michigamme Reservoir, at 4,867 acres.

What is the deepest lake in Iron County?

Chicagon Lake, 110 ft at its deepest point by Michigan DNR survey.

Which lake in Iron County has the clearest water?

Smoky Lake, with an average Secchi depth of about 20 ft (satellite readings, 2018–23).

Which Iron County lakes have public access?

Michigan DNR lists public access sites on Cable Lake, Lake Emily, Stanley Lake, Lake Mary, Indian Lake, First Fortune Lake, Swan Lake and Lake Ellen and 8 more.

Which Iron County lakes are stocked with walleye?

Bone Lake, Brule Lake, Buck Lake, Mastodon Township, Cable Lake, Camp Lake, Stambaugh Township, Chamberlain Lake, Chicagon Lake, Deer Lake, East Paint Lake, Emerson Lake, Fire Lake, Gibson Lake, Glidden Lake, Hagerman Lake, Ice Lake, Indian Lake, Iron Lake, James Lake, Lake Emily, Lake Mary, Lake Ottawa, Long Lake, Crystal Falls Township, Mitchell Lake, Net River, Norway Lake, Perch Lake, Railroad Lake, Runkle Lake, Snipe Lake, Stager Lake, Stanley Lake, Sunset Lake, Swan Lake and Winslow Lake, by Michigan DNR stocking records.

Have Iron County lakes had toxic algae?

Michigan DHHS has algae records for 3 lakes here; 0 measured at or above the EPA swimming guideline of 8 ppb at least once.