Best Lakes in Iron County Michigan

A deep, cold, clear lake with a sandy bottom, about five miles southwest of Iron River. The beach and picnic grounds sit in the Lake Ottawa Recreation Area, with a boat ramp and a fishing platform. Day use is $5 a car or $30 a season, mid-May to mid-October. The old log pavilion is closed for repairs in 2026, so don't count on changing rooms. Lake trout, pike, walleye and panfish, and every bass goes back. A national forest campground sits next door.

About 545 acres in Bates Township, northeast of Iron River. The township park has a beach, playground, picnic pavilion and boat launch, plus a small campground. Fish it for pike in summer and walleye once the ice comes in.

A national forest lake of about 585 acres southwest of Iron River, stocked with walleye in recent years. The boat ramp is free and open all year, with a picnic area by the water.

A 310-acre lake a few miles southwest of town that locals know for walleye through the ice. The state launch is one of the best in the county, with a paved ramp and room for trailers.

Nearly 400 acres north of Iron River, stocked with walleye every other year and good for perch, bluegill and crappie. High-speed boating isn't allowed, so the water stays calm.

A deep, cold lake out west off US-2, stocked with lake trout and splake, and open for trout all year. The national forest ramp is concrete and free, and there's a national forest campground on the shore.

About 1,100 acres, clear and deep, off County Road 424 between Gaastra and Alpha. Pentoga Park, the county park on the south shore, has a beach, change house, playground, pavilion and boat launch. There's no lifeguard, and pets stay off the beach. Big musky, fast-growing pike, lake trout and whitefish. The park has a campground too, and its ground was once an Ojibwe village.

A chain of spring-fed lakes just west of Crystal Falls on US-2. Bewabic State Park has a buoyed swim area, a beach house and the chain's only public boat launch. Rent a kayak, canoe or paddleboard from Memorial Day through September. Bass, pike and panfish, plus the park's own campground.

Crystal Falls' own lake, a few blocks from downtown. The city park has the beach, a boat landing, ball fields and a playground, and the Bass Festival is held here each summer. A campground runs next to the park.

A shallow, weedy 325-acre lake next to Chicaugon, full of perch, bluegill and crappie. It gives you better odds at a musky than anywhere else in the county. The state launch has an accessible fishing pier.

A 165-acre lake north of Crystal Falls where high-speed boating and water skiing aren't allowed, which makes it an easy, calm paddle. Bass, pike and panfish, with a state launch.

A small lake near Alpha in Mastodon Township with a township park: a swimming area, fishing pier, change house and boat launch. Stocked with walleye.