43.60341618980625, -87.2161453174918

Lake Michigan

One of the five Great Lakes of North America and the only one located entirely within the United States.
Because Lake Michigan is joined to Lake Huron at the Straits of Mackinac, they are considered one lake hydrologically.
The northern part of the Lake Michigan watershed is covered with forests, sparsely populated, and economically
dependent on natural resources and tourism, while the southern portion is heavily populated with intensive industrial
development and rich agricultural areas along the shore.

The only great lake that is fully in

America

Region

Midwest

Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, Illinois

4 states

miles long / miles across

300 / 75

Square Miles

22,300

Average depth / Greatest depth / ft

279 / 923

The 5th
largest lake
in the world

Lake Michigan’s name is derived from
the Ojibwa word Michi Gami, meaning
“The Great Water.”

The French explorer Jean Nicolet is believed to have been the first European to reach Lake Michigan, possibly in 1634 or 1638. Nicolet was 20 years old when he traveled to New France (Canada). He lived with a friendly Indian tribe on Allumette Island in the Ottawa River, learned the Algonquian language and culture.

Nicolet joined an expedition that journeyed
westward into the Huron territory in early 1634.
There he obtained a large canoe and with seven Huron braves proceeded from Lake Huron through the Straits of Mackinac to discover Lake Michigan. The lake was not the Northwest Passage to the Pacific Ocean that Nicolet anticipated, but he sailed on to Green Bay and there concluded a friendship treaty with the Winnebago tribe.

He explored the region of present-day Wisconsin for a short time before he returned to Quebec. He resumed his duties as colony interpreter and earned respect from both French settlers and local Indian tribes. Nicolet was drowned when his boat capsized during a sudden storm on the St. Lawrence River.
Britannica

Projectwisconsin

1

2

0

12 mln People live along
Lake Michigan's shores.

Mainly in the Chicago and Milwaukee metropolitan areas.

Cities on the Lake

30

Michigan

Traverse City
Frankfort
Holland

See all

18

Wisconsin

Green Bay
Milwaukee
Sheboygan

See all

12

Illinois

Chicago
Evanston
Waukegan

See all

7

Indiana

Michigan City
Portage
Gary

See all

Lake Michigan has many beaches. The region is often
referred to as the Third Coast of the USA. After those
of the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific Ocean.

The sand is soft and off‑white,
known as "singing sands" because
of the squeaking noise (caused
by high quartz content) it emits when
walked upon.

Some beaches have
sand dunes covered
in green beach grass
and sand cherries.

The water is usually
clear and cool,
between 55 and 80 °F
(13 and 27 °C).

Sand dunes located on the east shore of Lake Michigan are the largest freshwater dune system in the world. In multiple locations along the shoreline, the dunes rise several hundred feet above the lake surface. Large dune formations can be seen in many state parks, national forests and national parks along the Indiana and Michigan shoreline.

You have to go back to when glaciers covered
Michigan to find the original source for the sand.
The deposits left behind were mostly made of quartz, and over time the constant movement of the water formed what is now our sugar sand. In order for sand dunes to develop, you must have a large source of dry sand, the winds to transport it, and an area large enough for the dune to take hold.

The eastern coast of Lake Michigan has a vast array of impressive sand dunes, thanks to the westerly winds that take the sand and blow it into dune formations. Often these dunes become covered with vegetation, which stabilizes them. If this vegetation is gone, the dunes experience wind erosion.
Lakemichigandestinations

Silver Lake
Sand Dunes

Warren Dunes State Park

Kohler-Andrae & Point Beach

show all dunes

Ludington State Park
& Hamlin Lake

Whitefish Dunes
State Park

Saugatuck Dunes
State Park

Sleeping Bear Dunes
National Lakeshore

Indiana Dunes
National Lakeshore

Petoskey Stone

Lake Michigan beaches in Northern Michigan are the only place in the world, aside from
a few inland lakes in that region, where one can find Petoskey stones, the State stone.

A Petoskey stone is a fossil of a colonial coral (Hexagonaria percarinata). These coral
colonies lived in a shallow sea that covered what is now the Great Lakes area during
Devonian time, about 350 million years ago.

Chicago Lakefront

Chicago’s scenic Lakefront Trail is an 18‑mile paved path that follows
the Lake Michigan shoreline on the city’s eastern edge. It extends from
Ardmore Street (5800 N. Sheridan Rd) on the north side to 71st Street
(7100 S. South Shore Drive) on the south side.

Here’s a few activities you can do on the Lakefront Trail:

Safety Tips

01

Pedestrians have
the right of way.

02

Don’t bike or skate while
wearing headphones or under
the influence of alcohol.

03

At night, wear highly
visible, reflective materials.

04

Make sure to always
wear protective gear
while biking or skating.

05

Signal to others and
always pass on the left.

06

Before entering the Trail,
look both ways and yield
to oncoming traffic.

Lake Michigan has
over 50 beautiful
lighthouses, with the
majority in Michigan
and Wisconsin.

Most Lake Michigan lighthouses were built
in the 1800s when ship traffic was at its
heaviest, especially during the lumbering
era. Long before marine radios, lighthouses
were the only means to safely navigate
the harbors, many of which were rocky.

Lighthousesoflakemichigan

New Buffalo
Lighthouse

301 Marquette Dr,
New Buffalo, MI 49117

St. Joseph North
Pier Lighthouse

North Pier St,
Saint Joseph, MI 49085

Holland Harbor
Lighthouse

2215 Ottawa Beach Rd,
Holland, MI 49423

Big Sable Point
Lighthouse

5611 N Lighthouse,
Ludington, MI 49431

Seul Choix Pointe
Lighthouse

3183 Co Hwy 431,
Gulliver, MI 49840

Long Tail Point
Lighthouse

Suamico, WI 54173

Sheboygan Breakwater
Lighthouse

604 N 8th St, Sheboygan,
WI 53081

Coal Dock Park
Lighthouse

146 S Wisconsin St,
Port Washington, WI 53074

Gary Harbor
Breakwater Light

Gary, IN

Who lives
in the Lake

1

Rainbow Trout

2

Muskellunge

3

Brook Trout

4

Nothern Pike

5

Catfish

6

Yellow Perch

7

Walleye

8

Chinook Salmon

9

Crappie

10

Common Carp

11

Brown Trout

12

Lake Trout

13

Atlantic Salmon

14

Bass

15

Smelt

16

White Bass

17

Hering

18

Pink Salmon

19

Coho Salmon

20

Sunfish

Major
threat to
habitat

Marine biologists were alarmed at the discovery of the non-native fish in Lake Michigan's Burnham Harbor earlier this week because it could threaten the entire Great Lakes ecosystem.

The snakehead is a potential threat to inland lakes and rivers because it feeds on native fish and can wipe out some species of sport fish. In the Great Lakes, they would compete with popular sport fish like bass and walleye.

Snakeheads can also survive several days out of water if they are kept wet. The fish have earned the nickname "Frankenfish" because of their ability to survive, even after extreme measures are taken to eradicate them.

Nbcnews

The deepest part
is in Chippewa Basin
925ft / 281m.

The first person to reach the deepest part
of Lake Michigan was J. Val Klump.
He reached the bottom with a submarine
as part of a 1985 research expedition.

Even though we view Lake Michigan as a point of recreation for boating, swimming, and fishing – it was once a significant element in shipping cargo and transporting goods. Barges, schooners, and tugs routinely sailed through the waters going from port to port. While there have been shipwrecks never identified, many were found decades later in the lake’s depths.

There are nearly 1,500 shipwrecks sprawled across Lake Michigan’s sandy floor, many dating back to the early 1800s. Swallowed by the water from ferocious storms, high waves, or fire, what remains of them now are wooden ribs, frames, and memories.

Govalleykids

1845-1856

Niagara

Lives Lost: 60
County: Ozaukee
Nearest City: Belgium

1896-1905