Michigan’s Deepest Inland Lake is Still Deeper Than Lake Erie

Michigan is known as the Land of Lakes, and of course, most will connect us with the four Great Lakes that surround the state. Only Lake Ontario has no contact with Michigan.

But did you know that there are more than 11,000 inland lakes in Michigan, and one of them is even deeper than Lake Erie? It also happens to be one of the most beautiful inland lakes in the state.

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First, let's give some perspective. Obviously, we're familiar with Lake Superior being the deepest Great lake at 1,332 feet at its deepest point, just off of Grand Island in the Upper Peninsula.

For the record, if you were to stack TWO of the Detroit Marriott Towers at the Renaissance Center on top of themselves, only about 122 feet of the SECOND tower would be sticking out of the water.

But that is the deepest point in the Great Lakes. They're called "Superior" and "Great" for a reason. So let's explore Michigan's inland lakes a bit.

Michigan's Biggest Inland Lake

Michigan's biggest lake, by area, is Houghton Lake, which is up north, right about where your middle finger's middle knuckle would be in the mitten. It covers roughly 20,044 acres, and has more than 30 miles of shoreline. However, Houghton Lake is also one of Michigan's most shallow lakes at just 20 feet at it's deepest point.

Straight up I-75, NEARLY to Mackinaw City is Michigan's 4th largest lake, Burt Lake, which actually has more shoreline than any other inland lake in Michigan at 56 miles. It's deeper than Houghton Lake by a long shot, at 122 feet, but only covers about 17,260 acres.

But we want to know about the deepest lake, right? Well, it's definitely one of the most beautiful in the state, too.

What is Michigan's Deepest Inland Lake?

Torch Lake is an impressive sight, the second largest inland lake in the state, covering 18,770 acres, with 40.8 miles of shoreline, and is an impressive 285 feet deep. And actually, we need to clarify, that THIS Torch Lake is in the Lower Peninsula, in Antrim and Kalkaska Counties. There is a second Torch Lake in Houghton County, up in the Keweenaw Peninsula, that is only 120 feet deep.

But 285 feet is impressive. The Statue of Liberty is 305 feet, so if she were suddenly to appear at the bottom of the lake, only her hand and torch would be sticking out of the water.

What's even crazier, is Torch Lake is actually deeper than one of our Great Lakes, Lake Erie. As big as it is, Lake Erie's maximum depth is only 210 feet deep in its eastern end.

AND, I can guarantee, Lake Erie doesn't have NEARLY the celebrity population that live on Torch Lake!