If you were to do a Google search, you will probably get answers that name these lake towns, such as:
- Ludington
- Charlevoix
- Harbor Springs
- Saugatuck
- Holland
These lake towns are all located on the West Coast of Michigan along Lake Michigan (my favorite Great Lake).
You might even get search results that list towns including:
- Alpena
- Port Austin
- East Tawas
- Lexington
These lake towns are located on the shores of Lake Huron on the East Coast of Michigan. One of my favorite places to camp is Lakeport State Park, located about fifteen minutes south of Lexington. We would often go there for the day to swim at their public beach, grab a bite to eat at a local small town Michigan restaurant, and walk around the marina, as Lexington is also a popular spot for the boating community.
On the Michigan side of Lake Erie, in the Downriver area of Southeast Michigan, are quaint little towns such as Luna Pier, Monroe, and Estral Beach. Lake Erie has a thriving fishing community for professional fishing as well as enthusiasts. If you head south of the border into Ohio, you will find “America’s roller coast” – Cedar Point Amusement Park.
Way north on Lake Superior are towns like Marquette, Munising, and Copper Harbor. But what about lake towns that are not on any of the Great Lakes? Let’s take, for example, an area in Oakland County in Southeast Michigan nicknamed the Lakes Area. I would have to say these inland lake towns are pretty awesome too:
- White Lake Twp. a “Four Seasons Playground”
- Commerce Twp.
- West Bloomfield
- Walled Lake
- Keego Harbor
- Wolverine Lake
Closer to where I grew up in Plymouth-Canton, also in Southeastern Michigan but in southern Livingston and Washtenaw Counties, are the Chain of Lakes.
What is the chain of lakes in Michigan?
Several areas in our beautiful Pure Michigan have a chain of lakes system, but the one closest to me, fed by the Huron River, is located in towns like Pinckney, Hamburg, and Dexter.
According to Wikipedia’s info regarding the Huron River Chain of Lakes, “The chain is a watershed of the Huron River and covers northern Washtenaw County and southern Livingston County in Michigan. Big Portage, Little Portage, Base Line, Zukey, Strawberry, Whitewood and Gallagher can all be navigated by normal watercraft, however, Ore and Tamarack are only accessible by small watercraft.
The lakes are connected by no-wake canals and are mainly navigated by order of Little Portage, Big Portage, Baseline, Whitewood, Gallagher, Strawberry, and Zukey. Big Portage is 680 acres (2.8 km2) with the deepest point at 84 feet (26 m), making it the largest lake on the chain. Strawberry Lake is the second largest at 257 acres (1.04 km2) with its deepest point at 64 feet (20 m),”.
With all of the lakes included in this Huron River chain, it seems as though the communities could be similar to where I currently live. Let’s find out what the experts have to say.
The Ann Arbor Observer newspaper writes about the Chain of Lakes, “As automobiles made travel easier, buyers began to come from farther away. In the 1920s the Chain of Lakes experienced its biggest real estate boom. Valley of a Thousand Lakes is filled with ads for lots, cottages, and resorts that painted lake living in glowing terms.
After World War II, construction of I-94 and US-23 made it easier to live on the lakes while commuting to work in Ann Arbor or beyond. Owners began winterizing their summer cottages or totally replacing them. Another big step toward year-round living came in the 1980s, when sewage systems began to be installed. In 2000 the Sallade cottage was totally rebuilt, so that Charlotte Sallade and her children and grandchildren can now enjoy it in any season.
Today almost all the rustic cottages on the Chain of Lakes have been improved or replaced. About half the residents commute to work–Ann Arbor is just a half-hour away, Lansing or Southfield an hour. Scott Strane, a thirty-year resident of Strawberry Lake, used to commute to a sports medicine job in Birmingham; he says he never minded, because ‘when we drive home every day, we are driving to heaven.’ The people who don’t commute are mostly retirees who often spend the winters in warmer climates,”.
How fascinating – that’s exactly how I feel when coming home to the Lakes Area after a day of working close to the City of Detroit – as if I am driving to heaven!
Even though the northernmost lake in the Huron River chain of lakes, Zukey Lake, is forty-five minutes away from where I live in Oakland County’s Lakes Area, the Huron River also feeds our lakes. Furthermore, our area is where the Huron River begins, flowing south towards Ann Arbor and into Lake Erie.
Best inland lake boating Michigan
Some of the best inland lakes to boat on, in my opinion, include Torch Lake, Higgins Lake, Silver Lake, Lake St. Claire, Hamlin Lake, and countless other smaller inland lakes closer to where I have lived, such as the following, but not limited to:
- Union Lake
- Oxbow Lake
- Orchard Lake
- Wolverine Lake
- Pontiac Lake
- Lower Straights
- Cooley Lake
- Big Portage
- Zukey Lake
One of my favorite spots that I have explored in Northern Michigan (aka Up North) was the Michigan Inland Waterway. It is a 40-mile boatable chain with Indian River connecting Mullett Lake and Burt Lake, which then feeds into the Cheboygan River, leading out to Lake Huron. My ex-husband’s Uncle Cass lived on Indian River with a Boston Whaler, the perfect boat to take this trip on.
Actually, it is longer than I have experienced because according to a premier boating club magazine The Ensign, they write, “Touted as one of the most beautiful small-boat trips in the country, Michigan’s Inland Waterway is a 40-mile-long boating adventure across the top of the lower peninsula, beginning at Cheboygan on Lake Huron and ending at Crooked Lake, just a few miles from Petoskey and Lake Michigan. It winds through Mullett and Burt lakes along the Cheboygan, Indian and Crooked rivers, passing through two locks. While it’s only 40 miles, it takes the better part of a day to go from one end to another due to long and picturesque no-wake zones on the Cheboygan and Indian rivers,”.
Best lake town in Michigan
In conclusion, Michigan’s best lake town may be wherever the water, community, and memories feel most like home—Great Lakes or inland shores alike.