Updated 9 Oct 2026, 2:42 am EDT. Get alerts for Roscommon County lakes
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52 lakes · 36,818 acres · 6 with measured depth · 4 with a public launch · 5 stocked
Roscommon County has 52 lakes of 10 acres or more, 40 of them named, covering 36,818 acres of water. The largest is Houghton Lake at 20,075 acres; the deepest measured is Higgins Lake at 130 ft. Michigan DNR has surveyed the depth of 6 lakes here. Several names repeat: 2 lakes are called Marl Lake, 2 lakes are called Ryan Lake and 2 lakes are called Spring Lake.
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.
14 lakes in Roscommon County cover 100 acres or more. The 12 largest are listed here; the full register of 40 named lakes follows.
| Lake | Acres | Deepest | Clarity | Launches | Last stocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton Lake | 20,075 | 21 ft | 9 ft | 3 | 2011 |
| Higgins Lake | 10,186 | 130 ft | 22 ft | 3 | 2026 |
| Lake Saint Helen | 2,416 | about 25 ft (est.) | 7 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| Backus Lake Flooding | 559 | about 20 ft (est.) | 4 ft | ||
| Robinson Creek Floodin | 526 | about 20 ft (est.) | |||
| Little Mud Lake Floodi | 422 | about 20 ft (est.) | |||
| Backus Creek Flooding | 310 | about 20 ft (est.) | |||
| Marl Lake, Gerrish Township | 238 | 4 ft | 1 ft | 1 | |
| Denton Creek Flooding | 236 | ||||
| Lake James | 191 | about 30 ft (est.) | 8 ft | 2020 | |
| Robinson Lake | 185 | about 20 ft (est.) | |||
| West Twin Lake (East) | 139 | about 30 ft (est.) | 7 ft |
| Lake | Acres | Deepest | Clarity | Launches | Last stocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Houghton Lake | 20,075 | 21 ft | 9 ft | 3 | 2011 |
| Higgins Lake | 10,186 | 130 ft | 22 ft | 3 | 2026 |
| Lake Saint Helen | 2,416 | about 25 ft (est.) | 7 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| Backus Lake Flooding | 559 | about 20 ft (est.) | 4 ft | ||
| Robinson Creek Floodin | 526 | about 20 ft (est.) | |||
| Little Mud Lake Floodi | 422 | about 20 ft (est.) | |||
| Backus Creek Flooding | 310 | about 20 ft (est.) | |||
| Marl Lake, Gerrish Township | 238 | 4 ft | 1 ft | 1 | |
| Denton Creek Flooding | 236 | ||||
| Lake James | 191 | about 30 ft (est.) | 8 ft | 2020 | |
| Robinson Lake | 185 | about 20 ft (est.) | |||
| West Twin Lake (East) | 139 | about 30 ft (est.) | 7 ft | ||
| Bear Creek Flooding | 126 | about 20 ft (est.) | |||
| Russell Lake | 119 | about 15 ft (est.) | 2 ft | ||
| Mud Lake | 73 | ||||
| West Twin Lake (West) | 69 | about 20 ft (est.) | 8 ft | ||
| Clear Lake | 66 | about 50 ft (est.) | 17 ft | ||
| Wraco Lodge Lake | 65 | about 15 ft (est.) | |||
| Rollway Lake | 54 | about 35 ft (est.) | 11 ft | ||
| East Twin Lake (West) | 53 | about 25 ft (est.) | 9 ft | ||
| Woods Lake | 33 | ||||
| Beaver Lake Flooding | 33 | about 15 ft (est.) | |||
| Barney Lake | 26 | 21 ft | 5 ft | ||
| Pup Lake | 25 | 35 ft | |||
| Doyle Lake | 22 | about 20 ft (est.) | 10 ft | ||
| Boyce Lake | 22 | about 15 ft (est.) | |||
| Dunham Lake | 19 | about 30 ft (est.) | 11 ft | ||
| Eddy Lake | 19 | ||||
| Ryan Lake, Nester Township | 19 | about 30 ft (est.) | 10 ft | 1986 | |
| East Twin Lake (East) | 16 | about 20 ft (est.) | |||
| Atchel Lake | 16 | about 30 ft (est.) | 9 ft | ||
| Willing Lake | 16 | about 25 ft (est.) | 7 ft | ||
| Spring Lake, Nester Township | 16 | about 25 ft (est.) | 10 ft | ||
| Ryan Lake, Denton Township | 15 | about 15 ft (est.) | |||
| Lake Co-Be-Ac | 15 | about 20 ft (est.) | 11 ft | ||
| Campbell Lake | 15 | about 30 ft (est.) | 10 ft | ||
| Headquarters Lake | 14 | 9 ft | 13 ft | ||
| Spring Lake, Richfield Township | 12 | ||||
| Marl Lake, Nester Township | 11 | ||||
| Bambi Lake | 11 | 8 ft |
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.
2 lakes in Roscommon County are 25 ft deep or more by Michigan DNR survey. Higgins Lake is the deepest at 130 ft, then Pup Lake (35 ft), Houghton Lake (21 ft) and Barney Lake (21 ft). The depth of the other 34 named lakes has not been surveyed; where an older state estimate exists, the register gives it as an estimate.
Michigan DNR lake survey deep points, fetched 7 Oct 2026.
Clarity is the depth at which a black-and-white Secchi disk disappears from view. Across 23 lakes with satellite readings, the middle value in Roscommon County is 9 ft. The clearest is Higgins Lake at about 22 ft, then Clear Lake (17 ft), Headquarters Lake (13 ft) and Dunham Lake (11 ft). The least clear is Marl Lake, Gerrish Township at about 1 ft. Clarity is not a test for bacteria or algae toxins.
Michigan EGLE satellite-derived Secchi depth, averages 2018–23, fetched 7 Oct 2026.
Michigan DNR lists 8 public access sites on 4 lakes in Roscommon County; 7 require a Recreation Passport. The other 36 named lakes have no public access site listed by Michigan DNR.
| Lake | Site | Facilities |
|---|---|---|
| Houghton Lake | Houghton Lake East | 2 ramp lanes · 32 trailer spaces · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required |
| Houghton Lake | Houghton Lake South (fisherman's Paradise) | 6 ramp lanes · 116 trailer spaces · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required |
| Houghton Lake | Houghton Lake West | 6 ramp lanes · 89 trailer spaces · 3 car spaces · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required |
| Higgins Lake | South Higgins Lake State Park | 8 ramp lanes · 210 trailer spaces · flush toilets · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required |
| Higgins Lake | West Higgins Lake | 6 ramp lanes · 137 trailer spaces · vault toilet · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required |
| Higgins Lake | North Higgins Lake State Park | 3 ramp lanes · 45 trailer spaces · 45 car spaces · vault toilet · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required |
| Lake Saint Helen | Lake St Helen | 3 ramp lanes · 79 trailer spaces · 34 car spaces · vault toilet |
| Marl Lake, Gerrish Township | Marl Lake | 1 ramp lane · 12 trailer spaces · 16 car spaces · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required |
Michigan DNR boating access sites, fetched 8 Oct 2026.
Michigan DNR has stocked 5 lakes in Roscommon County 265 times since 1979. Walleye went into 4 lakes: Houghton Lake, Lake James, Lake Saint Helen and Ryan Lake, Nester Township. The most recent stocking was 6,790 brown trout in Higgins Lake on 16 April 2026. Higgins Lake is designated trout lake (Type E), with their own seasons and limits. Rivers and smaller waters stocked in the county: Dead Stream (Reedsburg) Flooding, Robinson Creek, South Branch Au Sable River, The Cut and West Branch Tittabawassee River.
| Species | Lakes | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Walleye | 4 | Houghton Lake, Lake James, Lake Saint Helen and Ryan Lake, Nester Township |
| Hybrid sunfish | 3 | Lake James, Lake Saint Helen and Ryan Lake, Nester Township |
| Bluegill | 2 | Lake James and Lake Saint Helen |
| Black crappie | 2 | Lake James and Lake Saint Helen |
| Brown trout | 1 | Higgins Lake |
| Rainbow trout | 1 | Higgins Lake |
| Lake trout | 1 | Higgins Lake |
| Yellow perch | 1 | Lake Saint Helen |
| Fathead minnow | 1 | Lake James |
| Largemouth bass | 1 | Ryan Lake, Nester Township |
| Splake | 1 | Higgins Lake |
| Atlantic salmon | 1 | Higgins Lake |
2026: 7 stockings, 80,753 fish in 1 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
Michigan DHHS has records for 1 lake in Roscommon 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.
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.
52 lakes of 10 acres or more, 40 of them named, in Michigan's hydrography layer. Smaller ponds are not counted.
Houghton Lake, at 20,075 acres.
Higgins Lake, 130 ft at its deepest point by Michigan DNR survey.
Higgins Lake, with an average Secchi depth of about 22 ft (satellite readings, 2018–23).
Michigan DNR lists public access sites on Houghton Lake, Higgins Lake, Lake Saint Helen and Marl Lake, Gerrish Township.
Houghton Lake, Lake James, Lake Saint Helen and Ryan Lake, Nester Township, by Michigan DNR stocking records.
Michigan DHHS has algae records for 1 lakes here; 0 measured at or above the EPA swimming guideline of 8 ppb at least once.