Lakes in Michigan

1. Bass Lake

Bass Lake is a 344-acre glacial lake in the northwest region of Michigan in the western end of Grand Traverse County near Grawn and Traverse City.

The lake reaches a maximum depth of 28 feet and boasts lovely sandy beaches, while soaring trees provide pleasant shady areas for visitors enjoying a weekend on the water.

While the lake is great for all sorts of water sports like kayaking, canoeing, and waterskiing, it is also one of the more popular fishing lakes with the locals.

Anglers come for rock bass, northern pike, and walleye, all of which thrive in the cold lake waters.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources has a boat ramp that offers public boat access for boaters coming to Bass Lake. While very close to populated areas, the lake has the feel of a wild, isolated place.

2. Big Glen Lake

Big Glen Lake is a 4,871-acre lake near the charming little town of Glen Arbor. It reaches a maximum depth of 130 feet and has a pleasant sandy shoreline surrounded by rolling dunes and occasional small forests.

The water is crystal clear and is justifiably nicknamed Inspiration Point. Big Glen Lake and its smaller cousin Little Glen Lake were connected to Lake Michigan during the last ice age, but the sandbar that was accumulated through ages separated the two over time.

The lake is very popular with boaters and families looking for a nice day of swimming as well as with fishermen. It is rich with yellow perch, brown trout, smallmouth bass, lake trout, and northern pike.

There is easy access to the lake from the public boat ramp on Little Glen Lake and several private marinas.

The Glen Lakes are connected by a narrow channel that runs under the bridge that crosses the lakes. Just next to the lake is the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore created in 1970 to protect the 110-foot tall dunes. The park stretches to Lake Michigan and also north and south of Manitou Islands.

3. Burt Lake

Burt Lake is one of several waterways that connect Lake Huron and Lake Michigan. Located about twenty miles from the Straits of Mackinac, this lovely lake is a popular tourist destination, and although it is heavily populated, it still contains quiet stretches of natural spaces. Most of them are protected, such as the Colonial Point Memorial Forest, the Chaboiganing Nature Preserve, and Seven Springs Nature Preserve. The most popular is Burt Lake State Park with more than 2,000 feet of sandy beach. Maple Bay County Campground and Beach offer rustic camping and a nice swimming beach. The only village on the lake is Indian River, and its marina provides boat rentals and repairs, slips, and permanent facilities. Fishing is the most popular activity, with trophy walleye, sturgeon, brown and rainbow trout, rock bass, and many other fish species biting depending on the season. The Maple Bay area’s sheltered bay provides warm, pleasant shallows that are great for swimming and sailing.

4. Clam Lake

Clam Lake is an 18,473-acre lake snuggled between Torch Lake and Lake Bellaire, about 30 miles from Traverse City and 140 miles from Grand Rapids. Clam Lake has become a popular destination for boating, fishing, skiing, and sightseeing. The lake’s maximum depth is 27 feet, and its average depth is 13 feet. Boaters, kayakers, and canoeists use Clam Lake as a passage through the miles of scenic waterway on the way to other lakes, but its nine-mile long shoreline is densely populated with year-round and seasonal residents. About 16 percent of the lake shoreline is protected from development. There are private and public boat ramps on both ends of the lake. Shallow marshes along the lake provide excellent cover for panfish and pike, and in deeper water anglers can expect to catch walleye, perch, bluegill, all kinds of bass, brown trout, and crappie. Ice fishing on the lake during the winter is also very popular. The Grass River Natural Area with seven miles of trails is located at the southeastern end of Clam Lake.

5. Crystal Lake

Crystal Lake is located in northwestern Michigan in Benzie County in a depression about a mile from the Lake Michigan. It is connected to Lake Michigan through a small outlet stream and Betsie River. To make the stream more navigable, x a logger decided to enlarge it in 1873. As a consequence, the lake water was lowered by 20 feet and is today surrounded by sandy beaches. Fortunately, the lake is located in a deep valley so its depth is still 175 ft. Since the only town around the lake is the village of Beulah, the lake’s water is very clear and unpolluted. The village has a nice public beach, a playground, a park with pavilions, picnic tables and barbecues, tennis courts, and parking. Crystal lake is great for swimming, canoeing, water-skiing, and fishing. There are a number of fishing guides who know where to find Rock and Smallmouth Bass, Lake Trout, Brown and Rainbow Trout, and Coho Salmon.

6. Elk Lake

Elk Lake, a deep glacial lake reaching depths of 200 feet, is located at the end of the chain of 14 lakes in the Elk River Chain of Lake not far from Grand Traverse Bay. The lake is about eight miles long and four miles wide and is popular for all sorts of water sports and trout fishing. The best spot for finding lake trout is the deep hole in the center of the lake. The trout meat is considered extremely tasty, and fishing for trout on Elk Lake is popular year round, including through the ice. Waterskiing, tubing, wakeboarding, kayaking, sailing, and ice-boating in winter are also very popular on the lake. Elk Rapids is the only sizable village on the lake, and it provides a lake marina and other facilities such as boat rentals.

7. Gull Lake

Gull Lake is a 2,030-acre glacial lake located about 11 miles from Kalamazoo in southwestern Michigan. It is about five miles long and only one mile wide. It has an 18.5-mile long shoreline that is quite populated, and most of the families are year-round residents. Gull Lake became a summer getaway for wealthy families in the late 1800s. The lake’s superb water quality is still attracting visitors who share Gull Lake with residents for fishing, water skiing, boating, canoeing, sailing, swimming, and even scuba diving. In the winter, ice skating, ice fishing, ice boating, and ice golf are common activities. There are two points for public access. Prairieville Township Park, located on the north shore, provides a boat launch ramp that can fit 70 boat trailers. A much smaller boat access on the northeast shore is located on Baseline Road. There are two marinas and a golf course on the Gull Lake shoreline. The Kellogg Biological Station and Bird Sanctuary are located on the eastern shore, both owned by Michigan State University.

8. Higgins Lake

Higgins Lake is a natural glacial lake located five miles west from the town of Roscommon. Its maximum depth of 141 feet and average depth of 52 feet ensure crystal clear, and the azure blue waters and spectacular visibility make the lake very attractive to snorkelers. Other popular water sports on the lake include tubing, water skiing, and kneeboarding. Higgins Lake offers superb fishing opportunities for northern pike, brown, lake and rainbow trout, and smallmouth bass. Ice fishing is so popular that on days with good ice conditions, you can see more than 100 ice shanties on the lake. North Higgins State Park and South Higgins State Park on two ends of the lake offer campgrounds, beaches, trails, and launch ramps. North Higgins State Park also has the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum, featuring the photographs, artifacts, and other historical elements of the Civilian Conservation Corps. South Higgins State Park is larger and has almost one mile of the lake's shoreline. It also has three major hiking, biking and cross-country skiing trails. All along the lake’s 22-mile shoreline are pleasant sand beaches. You will also find three boat ramps.

9. Lake Bellaire

Lake Bellaire is a 1,793-acre natural freshwater lake in Michigan’s Lower Peninsula. Shaped like an elongated S, it has 11.5 miles long shore, with the lower half of the lake significantly widening. Its maximum depth is 95 feet and average depth is 43 feet. Lake Bellaire is part of the chain of 14 lakes in the Elk River Watershed Chain of Lakes. The lakes in the chain are connected through rivers and streams so that boaters can go from one to another, enjoying spectacular scenery on the way. Lake Bellaire is great for swimming, kayaking, windsurfing, waterskiing, sailing, boating, and fishing. The lake is densely populated and surrounded by a number of luxurious resorts as well as charming bed and breakfasts, inns, condo villages, and modern campgrounds. The main town on the lake is Bellaire, located on the northeast side.