Two canoes crossing open water between forested points in the Boundary Waters

Updated August 2026

Biggest Lake in Michigan: Houghton Lake (20,044 acres)

Houghton Lake is Michigan's largest inland lake per the Michigan DNR, Institute for Fisheries Research. Below: 50 Michigan lakes ranked by surface area.

The largest lake in Michigan is Houghton Lake at 20,044 acres , in Roscommon County, according to the Michigan DNR, Institute for Fisheries Research. Lake Michigan is larger at 22,300 sq mi water area (US EPA). Michigan borders four Great Lakes (Superior 31,700 sq mi, Huron 23,000, Michigan 22,300, Erie 9,910), all vastly larger. Houghton is the largest lake entirely inside Michigan.

Houghton Lake isn't in our water-quality index — we grade lakes with enough EPA Water Quality Portal samples to score, which leaves out many large reservoirs and border waters. The ranking below covers the 50 Michigan lakes we do grade, led by Houghton Lake.

Source: Michigan DNR, Institute for Fisheries Research (1962 (DNR lake inventory map: marginal survey 1935-36, depth contours revised Oct. 1962; retrieved 2026-07-30)). The table below ranks the Michigan lakes in our own index by surface area.

Lakes with area data

20,070

Largest (acres)

4,136

Median of top 50

3/50

Reservoirs (vs natural)

Reading Michigan's size profile

Michigan's largest lake by surface area is Houghton Lake in Roscommon County, spanning 20,070 acres and reaching 21 ft deep. Most of Michigan's biggest waters are natural basins left by glaciers, with stable shorelines and deep main basins.

Surface area is a poor proxy for water quality on its own — a large lake can hold a clean, deep core and a nutrient-loaded bay at the same time. Each lake below links to its full report card with grade, clarity, depth, and EPA impairment status. Area figures come from state DNR surveys and the USACE National Inventory of Dams; grades come from EPA and state monitoring data.

The 50 biggest lakes in Michigan by surface area

#	Lake	County	Surface area	Max depth	Grade
1	Houghton Lake	Roscommon	20,070 acres	21 ft	A
2	Torch Lake	Antrim	18,714 acres	250 ft	NR
3	Burt Lake	Cheboygan	17,393 acres	73 ft	NR
4	Lake Charlevoix	Charlevoix	17,256 acres	122 ft	NR
5	Mullett Lake	Cheboygan	16,702 acres	120 ft	NR
6	Lake Gogebic	Gogebic	13,150 acres	35 ft	NR
7	Manistique Lake	Mackinac	10,354 acres	20 ft	NR
8	Higgins Lake	Roscommon	10,187 acres	-	NR
9	Crystal Lake	Benzie	9,865 acres	175 ft	NR
10	Portage Lake	Houghton	9,324 acres	28 ft	NR
11	Hubbard Lake	Alcona	8,767 acres	80 ft	A
12	Indian Lake	Schoolcraft	8,654 acres	15 ft	NR
13	Lake Leelanau	Leelanau	8,608 acres	62 ft	NR
14	Elk Lake	Grand Traverse	8,201 acres	150 ft	NR
15	Fletcher Pond	Alpena	6,821 acres	8 ft	NR
16	Glen Lake	Leelanau	6,289 acres	130 ft	NR
17	Grand Lake	Presque Isle	5,822 acres	20 ft	NR
18	Long Lake	Alpena	5,342 acres	25 ft	NR
19	Michigamme Reservoir	Iron	4,869 acres	38 ft	NR
20	Hamlin Lake	Mason	4,644 acres	65 ft	NR
21	Walloon Lake	Emmet	4,577 acres	-	B
22	Lac Vieux Desert	Gogebic	4,370 acres	-	NR
23	Brevoort Lake	Mackinac	4,314 acres	-	NR
24	Lake Michigamme	Marquette	4,294 acres	70 ft	NR
25	Muskegon Lake	Muskegon	4,198 acres	66 ft	NR
26	South Manistique Lake	Mackinac	4,136 acres	25 ft	NR
27	Siskiwit Lake	Keweenaw	4,008 acres	-	B
28	Douglas Lake	Cheboygan	3,727 acres	80 ft	NR
29	Leelanau, Lake North	Leelanau	2,917 acres	-	NR
30	Long Lake	Grand Traverse	2,911 acres	88 ft	NR
31	Hardy Dam Pond	Newaygo	2,775 acres	110 ft	NR
32	Lake Skegemog	Kalkaska	2,769 acres	29 ft	NR
33	Dead River Storage Basin	Marquette	2,739 acres	59 ft	NR
34	Gun Lake	Barry	2,737 acres	60 ft	NR
35	Torch Bay	Houghton	2,693 acres	-	NR
36	Lake Mitchell	Wexford	2,644 acres	22 ft	NR
37	Platte Lake	Benzie	2,531 acres	90 ft	NR
38	White Lake	Muskegon	2,466 acres	-	NR
39	Lake Saint Helen	Roscommon	2,418 acres	25 ft	NR
40	Crooked Lake	Emmet	2,360 acres	50 ft	A
41	Peavy Pond	Iron	2,348 acres	64 ft	NR
42	Torch Lake	Houghton	2,240 acres	123 ft	NR
43	Bond Falls Flowage	Ontonagon	2,127 acres	28 ft	NR
44	Portage Lake	Manistee	2,115 acres	60 ft	NR
45	Lake Independence	Marquette	2,071 acres	30 ft	NR
46	Gull Lake	Kalamazoo	2,050 acres	110 ft	NR
47	Lake Missaukee	Missaukee	2,037 acres	25 ft	NR
48	Milakokia Lake	Mackinac	2,032 acres	25 ft	NR
49	Otsego Lake	Otsego	2,014 acres	20 ft	NR
50	Green Lake	Grand Traverse	1,996 acres	102 ft	NR

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the largest lake in Michigan?

Houghton Lake, at 20,044 acres, in Roscommon County. Lake Michigan is larger at 22,300 sq mi water area (US EPA). Michigan borders four Great Lakes (Superior 31,700 sq mi, Huron 23,000, Michigan 22,300, Erie 9,910), all vastly larger. Houghton is the largest lake entirely inside Michigan. Source: Michigan DNR, Institute for Fisheries Research, 1962 (DNR lake inventory map: marginal survey 1935-36, depth contours revised Oct. 1962; retrieved 2026-07-30).

How is lake surface area measured?

Surface area comes from state DNR lake surveys and, for reservoirs, US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) National Inventory of Dams records. Area is reported in acres at normal pool level. Reservoirs rise and fall with management and drought, so their listed area is the long-term normal rather than a single-day reading.

Are Michigan's largest lakes natural or reservoirs?

Of the top 50 Michigan lakes by area, 3 sit on a dammed river (reservoirs) and 47 are natural basins. Glacial states (MN, WI, MI, NY) skew natural; plains and southern states (MO, IA, ND, OH) skew toward reservoirs built for water supply, flood control, and recreation.

Do larger lakes have better water quality?

Not reliably. Quality varies more within a big lake than between lakes — a large lake can have a clean, deep main basin and a murky, algae-prone bay fed by a tributary, so one grade can mask wide swings. Depth, watershed land use, and how fast the lake flushes matter far more than raw surface area.

How big is the typical Michigan lake in this ranking?

Across the top 50 Michigan lakes by surface area, the median is 4,136 acres (South Manistique Lake). This list is biased toward the biggest waters; the typical Michigan lake is far smaller.

Where to stay near Michigan's largest lakes

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

Deepest lakes in Michigan →Cleanest lakes in Michigan →Largest lakes (all states) →All Michigan lakes →