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LakeQuality

Best Lakes Near Detroit, MI

50 lakes within 50 miles of Detroit ranked by water quality grade.

Detroit sits in a lake-rich part of the upper Midwest: 50 graded lakes within reach, average grade B. Square Lake Central Basin; Bloomfield Township (A) leads the cluster.

The lakes below are sorted by composite LakeGrade rubric score. If you have a specific activity in mind — swimming, kayaking, ice-fishing, family-fishing — the activity-specific sub-pages will filter further.

50
Lakes Within 50 mi
7
Grade A Lakes
35
With Fish Data
0
Public Access
LakeDistanceCountyGradeDepthFish
Square Lake Central Basin; Bloomfield Township23.5 miOaklandA-1
Square Lake23.5 miOaklandA-1
Oxbow Lake31.1 miOaklandA-1
Cordley Lake Central Basin; Hamburg Township43 miLivingstonA-7
Ore Lake West Basin; Hamburg Township39.8 miLivingstonA-14
Silver Lake47 miWashtenawA-15
North Lake North Central Basin; Dexter Township49.3 miWashtenawA-2
Upper Long Lake Northwest Basin; Bloomfield Township23.1 miOaklandB-0
Cass Lake25.2 miOaklandB-1
Otter Lake North Basin; Waterford Township25.7 miOaklandB-0
Otter Lake25.7 miOaklandB-30
Middle Straits Lake Central Basin; West Bloomfield Township25.9 miOaklandB-1
Middle Straits Lake26.2 miOaklandB-1
Wormer Lake29.1 miOaklandB-0
Mohawk Lake29.1 miOaklandB-0
Cedar Is. Lake East Central Basin,White Lake Township30.1 miOaklandB-1
Cedar Island Lake30.3 miOaklandB-1
Woodhull Lake Central Basin; Waterford Township30.8 miOaklandB-0
Woodhull Lake30.8 miOaklandB-0
Maceday Lake31.6 miOaklandB-1
Lotus Lake31.8 miOaklandB-1
Lake Orion32.6 miOaklandB-0
Long Lake33.2 miOaklandB-1
Long Lake Central Basin33.2 miOaklandB-0
Lakeville Lake Central Basin34.8 miOaklandB-0
Round Lake35.1 miOaklandB-37
Clark Lake Central Basin; Brighton Township41.7 miLivingstonB-0
Clark Lake41.7 miLivingstonB-20
Oneida Lake East Central Basin42 miLivingstonB-0
Bass Lake42.5 miLivingstonB-2
Whitewood Lakes42.7 miLivingstonB-0
Whitewood Lake43 miLivingstonB-1
Base Line Lake Northeast Basin; Hamburg Township43.7 miLivingstonB-16
Base Line Lake43.8 miWashtenawB-1
Portage Lake44.8 miLivingstonB-1
Portage Lake South Basin; Dexter Township45.1 miWashtenawB-26
Little Portage Lake Northeast Basin; Dexter Township45.5 miWashtenawB-1
Little Portage Lake45.6 miWashtenawB-1
Silver Lake47.1 miWashtenawB-15
Silver Lake Central Basin48.2 miGeneseeB-0
Silver Lake48.3 miGeneseeB-15
North Lake49.3 miWashtenawB-1
Byram Lake50 miGeneseeB-0
Upper Long Lake23 miOaklandC-0
Dollar Lake24.4 miOaklandC-1
Pleasant Lake24.4 miOaklandC-11
Pleasant Lake; West Bloomfield Township24.5 miOaklandC-11
Sylvan Lake; Sylvan Lake Township24.9 miOaklandC-14
Sylvan Lake25.1 miOaklandC-14
Twin Lakes30.4 miOaklandC-7

Top-Rated Lakes Near Detroit

Square Lake Central Basin; Bloomfield Township

23.5 mi · Oakland County · Grade A

Square Lake

23.5 mi · Oakland County · Grade A

Oxbow Lake

31.1 mi · Oakland County · Grade A

Cordley Lake Central Basin; Hamburg Township

43 mi · Livingston County · Grade A

Ore Lake West Basin; Hamburg Township

39.8 mi · Livingston County · Grade A

Silver Lake

47 mi · Washtenaw County · Grade A

Lakes Near Other Cities

Minneapolis, MNSt. Paul, MNDuluth, MNRochester, MNBrainerd, MNSt. Cloud, MNMankato, MNBemidji, MNGrand Rapids, MNAlexandria, MNMoorhead, MNWillmar, MNPark Rapids, MNDetroit Lakes, MNEly, MNMilwaukee, WIMadison, WIGreen Bay, WIEau Claire, WIWausau, WILa Crosse, WIAppleton, WIOshkosh, WIStevens Point, WIRhinelander, WIMinocqua, WIHayward, WIEagle River, WIWisconsin Dells, WIChicago, ILRockford, ILGrand Rapids, MITraverse City, MIDes Moines, IACedar Rapids, IAColumbus, OHCleveland, OHPittsburgh, PAErie, PASyracuse, NYRochester, NYAlbany, NYSt. Louis, MOKansas City, MOSpringfield, MOIndianapolis, INFort Wayne, INFargo, NDBismarck, NDDevils Lake, NDSioux Falls, SD

Frequently Asked Questions

How many lakes are near Detroit?

There are 50 graded lakes within 50 miles of Detroit, Michigan. 7 of these have an A water quality grade (excellent).

What are the best lakes near Detroit for fishing?

35 lakes near Detroit have documented fish species data. The best fishing lakes combine good water quality grades with diverse fish populations. 15 lakes within 50 miles have 5 or more documented fish species.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.