Overview
Lake Marion is an approximately 3,000-acre natural lake in east Polk County, just east of Haines City in the Kissimmee River Basin. It receives water from Indian Head Swamp and surrounding wetlands and discharges north through Lake Marion Creek. Surrounding conservation lands are managed cooperatively by the South Florida Water Management District, Polk County, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
The lake is shallow, averaging about 4 feet deep and reaching near 10 feet, with roughly 13 miles of shoreline. Emergent vegetation and wetland edges dominate much of the basin, and Lake Marion Creek Wildlife Management Area protects more than 8,000 acres of habitat north and east of the lake.
Anglers fish Marion for largemouth bass, panfish, and other warmwater species under statewide FWC freshwater regulations. Public access is available through WMA and county facilities, and the lake offers a quieter alternative to the larger Kissimmee Chain waters to the east.
Unlike the USACE-regulated Kissimmee Chain lakes, Marion's stages are not held to a Corps full-pool schedule; levels respond mainly to rainfall, wetland storage, and outflow down Lake Marion Creek. Catalog reference elevations near 66 feet NGVD29 provide a local stage context, so monitoring current water levels still helps with shoreline and boat access.
Current Conditions
Lake Marion is currently 0.29 feet below full pool and has risen slightly over the past week.
- 7-day trendRisingLatest movement can differ from the seven-day trend.
- 7-day changeUp 0.06 ft
- 30-day changeUp 0.20 ft
- Drought conditionsModerate Drought
About This Lake
Learn how this lake is managed, what affects its water level, and where Lake Insights gets its data.
Lake Marion is a 3,006-acre reservoir on the Indian Head Swamp and local wetlands managed by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.