Slim Lake under flat overcast, dark open water running to a low wooded shore

Updated August 2026 · Top 50 of 1,574 lakes with a surveyed depth

Deepest Lake in Michigan: Torch Lake

Torch Lake is Michigan's deepest inland lake, per the Michigan DNR, Institute for Fisheries Research. Lake Superior is deeper at 1,332 ft. Great Lake bordering Michigan (Michigan 925 ft, Huron 750 ft, Erie 210 ft also border the state). Torch is the deepest lake entirely inside Michigan. Published depths for Torch Lake differ between sources; the agency's figure is 285 ft, so no single number is settled. Mapped and ranked below: the 50 deepest of 1,574 Michigan lakes with a surveyed maximum depth.

Map · 50 ranked lakesTap a pin for its lakeTap a pin for the lake's report card

Loading map…

Graded A–FNot rated#1 in this rankingPins are this ranking's lakes at their surveyed locations.

Top 50 Deepest Lakes in Michigan (by max depth)

#	Lake	County	Max depth	Mean depth	Surface area	Grade
1	Torch Lake	Antrim	250 ft	—	18,714 ac	NR
2	Crystal Lake	Benzie	175 ft	—	9,865 ac	NR
3	Thumb Lake	Charlevoix	152 ft	—	508 ac	NR
4	Elk Lake	Antrim	150 ft	—	—	NR
5	Elk Lake	Grand Traverse	150 ft	21 ft	8,201 ac	NR
6	Glen Lake	Leelanau	130 ft	—	6,289 ac	NR
7	Loon Lake	Iosco	128 ft	—	417 ac	NR
8	Cass Lake	Oakland	123 ft	—	1,118 ac	NR
9	Torch Lake	Houghton	123 ft	16 ft	2,240 ac	NR
10	Lake Charlevoix	Charlevoix	122 ft	—	17,256 ac	NR
11	Mullett Lake	Cheboygan	120 ft	—	16,702 ac	NR
12	Lotus Lake	Oakland	117 ft	—	183 ac	NR
13	Maceday Lake	Oakland	117 ft	—	210 ac	NR
14	Otter Lake	Lapeer	117 ft	11 ft	68 ac	NR
15	Gull Lake	Kalamazoo	110 ft	—	2,050 ac	NR
16	Chicagon Lake	Iron	110 ft	—	1,083 ac	B
17	Hardy Dam Pond	Newaygo	110 ft	26 ft	2,775 ac	NR
18	Union Lake	Oakland	110 ft	13 ft	467 ac	NR
19	Orchard Lake	Oakland	110 ft	13 ft	796 ac	NR
20	Heart Lake	Otsego	110 ft	15 ft	67 ac	NR
21	Gilkey Lake	Barry	108 ft	10 ft	84 ac	NR
22	Green Lake	Grand Traverse	102 ft	—	1,996 ac	NR
23	Golden Lake	Iron	100 ft	—	274 ac	B
24	Long Lake	Iron	100 ft	20 ft	60 ac	NR
25	Duck Lake	Grand Traverse	98 ft	—	1,944 ac	NR
26	Upper Straits Lake	Oakland	96 ft	—	345 ac	NR
27	Lake Bellaire	Antrim	95 ft	—	1,520 ac	NR
28	North Lake	Alcona	95 ft	16 ft	86 ac	NR
29	Oxbow Lake	Gogebic	95 ft	12 ft	98 ac	NR
30	Witch Lake	Marquette	95 ft	18 ft	211 ac	NR
31	Silver Lake	Cheboygan	91 ft	—	68 ac	NR
32	Lake Fenton	Genesee	90 ft	—	879 ac	NR
33	Platte Lake	Benzie	90 ft	—	2,531 ac	NR
34	Bills Lake	Newaygo	90 ft	—	198 ac	A
35	Paw Paw Lake	Berrien	90 ft	9 ft	923 ac	NR
36	Coldwater Lake	Branch	90 ft	12 ft	1,582 ac	NR
37	Shupac Lake	Crawford	90 ft	19 ft	105 ac	NR
38	Beatons Lake	Gogebic	90 ft	14 ft	324 ac	NR
39	Silver Lake	Grand Traverse	90 ft	23 ft	610 ac	NR
40	Clear Lake	Montmorency	90 ft	20 ft	138 ac	NR
41	George Lake	Ogemaw	90 ft	16 ft	186 ac	NR
42	Shoepac Lake	Presque Isle	90 ft	13 ft	53 ac	NR
43	Fremont Lake	Newaygo	88 ft	—	801 ac	NR
44	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	88 ft	—	2,911 ac	NR
45	Derby Lake	Montcalm	87 ft	—	113 ac	A
46	Grand Sable Lake	Alger	85 ft	—	656 ac	B
47	Scram Lake	Kent	85 ft	—	80 ac	NR
48	Cedar Lake	Van Buren	84 ft	—	275 ac	A
49	Portage Lake	Washtenaw	84 ft	13 ft	642 ac	NR
50	Lake Gerald	Houghton	82 ft	28 ft	356 ac	NR

Sources and method

Max and mean depth: Michigan DNR Institute for Fisheries Research surveys. Surveyed depths only; modeled estimates are never ranked. A dash means the survey did not record a mean.
Deepest inland lake: Torch Lake, per the Michigan DNR, Institute for Fisheries Research, 1958 (DNR lake inventory map: soundings 1953, inventory 1957-58; retrieved 2026-07-30). The agency's figure is 285 ft; other published depths differ, so no single number is treated as settled. Torch Lake has no page here yet, so it is absent from the table.
Grade: A–F water-quality grade from EPA Water Quality Portal nutrient and algae sampling, where enough recent samples exist to support one; the dashed NR mark otherwise. Depth is not part of the grade.
Map pins: the 50 table rows with surveyed coordinates, colored by grade. No other lakes are plotted.

Get updates on Michigan's deepest lakes

New grades and algae readings on these waters as samples come in. Unsubscribe anytime.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the deepest lake in Michigan?

Torch Lake, in Antrim and Kalkaska County, is the deepest inland lake. Lake Superior is deeper at 1,332 ft. Great Lake bordering Michigan (Michigan 925 ft, Huron 750 ft, Erie 210 ft also border the state). Torch is the deepest lake entirely inside Michigan. Published depths differ between sources; the agency's figure is 285 ft, so no single number is settled. Source: Michigan DNR, Institute for Fisheries Research, 1958 (DNR lake inventory map: soundings 1953, inventory 1957-58; retrieved 2026-07-30).

How are lake depths measured?

Maximum depth is the deepest point at full-pool water level, from state agency bathymetric surveys and, for reservoirs, dam-design records. The ranking uses surveyed depths only, never modeled estimates. Everyday water level can sit below the surveyed figure during drawdowns or drought. Mean depth, the average across the whole basin, is listed where a survey recorded it.

Why are some Michigan lakes so much deeper than others?

Lake depth depends on how the lake formed. Glacial lakes (common in MN, WI, MI, NY) were carved by ice sheets and can exceed 200 ft. Reservoir lakes (common in IA, MO, OK, KS) are shaped by river valley depth at the dam site — typically 50-150 ft at the dam, much shallower upstream. Flooded mine pits can be deeper still. Oxbow lakes and pothole lakes formed by river meandering or glacial pitting tend to be shallower, usually under 30 ft.

Does deeper mean cleaner?

Not directly, but deeper lakes tend to be cleaner on average. Depth creates thermal stratification in summer, isolating cold deep water from surface algal blooms. Deep lakes also resist nutrient resuspension from wind-driven sediment mixing. That said, many deep lakes still suffer from impairment if the watershed loads heavy phosphorus — each lake's page carries its grade and EPA impairment status.

What's the average depth of Michigan lakes in this ranking?

Across the 50 deepest Michigan lakes, the average maximum depth is 108 ft and the median is 96 ft (Upper Straits Lake). This is the top of 1,574 lakes with a surveyed depth, so it is biased toward deep lakes; the typical Michigan lake is shallower.

Where to stay near Michigan's deepest lakes

Planning a trip? Jump to live cabin, resort, and hotel availability near Michigan's deepest lakes.

Largest lakes in Michigan →Cleanest lakes in Michigan →All Michigan lakes →Michigan state record fish →