1137.86 ft NAVD88
level 0.2 ft below full pool — this gauge's public record is too short for seasonal comparisons
Reading comes straight from U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System (USGS gauge 442400084472801) and updates live when you load this page.
Full pool, datum, and the gauge
"Full pool" here means the conservation pool — the level the lake is designed to hold for water supply and recreation, not the flood-control space above it. The full explainer covers flood pool and dead pool too.
| Full pool | 1138.10 ft NAVD88 · per Natural lake, level set by Michigan court order (Roscommon County); USGS gauge full-pool reference |
|---|---|
| Gauge | USGS gauge 442400084472801 · U.S. Geological Survey National Water Information System |
| Datum | NAVD88 — Live 62615 is NAVD88; the legal normal level 1138.1 (winter minimum 1137.6) is on the older court/mean-sea-level datum - treat comparison as approximate (offset <0.5 ft here). History via 00065 stage on gage datum 1129.61 ft NAVD88 since 1974. |
| Last verified | August 15, 2026 |
LakeDates reports lake level, not ramp status. Whether a given ramp or marina is usable at this level varies ramp by ramp — call the marina before you tow.
Quick answers
How full is Houghton Lake right now?
Houghton Lake is at 1137.86 ft (NAVD88) as of August 15, 2026 — 0.2 ft below full pool — this gauge's public record is too short for seasonal comparisons
Is Houghton Lake full?
Not quite — at 1137.86 ft, Houghton Lake is 0.2 ft below its full pool of 1138.10 ft (NAVD88).
What is full pool for Houghton Lake?
Full pool (the conservation pool) for Houghton Lake is 1138.10 ft NAVD88, per Natural lake, level set by Michigan court order (Roscommon County); USGS gauge full-pool reference. Levels above it use flood storage; levels below it are drawdown.