MI · ranked by public data

The 25 Deepest Lakes in Michigan

Michigan's deepest inland lakes, ranked by the deepest point recorded in Michigan DNR Institute for Fisheries Research lake surveys — the same historical surveys behind each lake's depth map on LakeList. These surveys are largely mid-1900s, and the DNR notes their depths have not been re-confirmed by modern survey.

387 Michigan lakes have an IFR-surveyed depth of at least 40 feet and at least 50 state-mapped acres.

387lakes have an IFR-surveyed depth of at least 40 feet and at least 50 state-mapped acres

Torch Lake#1 at 250 ft maximum depth

Oakland Countymost qualifying lakes (31)

Methodology

How we rank Michigan's deepest lakes

Ranked by the deepest point recorded in Michigan DNR Institute for Fisheries Research (IFR) lake surveys — historical hand-drawn survey maps, largely mid-1900s, digitized by the DNR. Depths have not been re-confirmed by modern survey.
Only lakes with an IFR survey can rank; Michigan lakes without one are not listed rather than guessed at.
Lakes under 50 acres — or without a confidently matched Michigan DNR GIS lake polygon for acreage — are excluded from rankings.
Public access inventories are not yet tracked for Michigan, so access is never shown or ranked here.

Every number on this page comes from the same public agency records that power each lake's profile, and the list is recomputed as that data updates — it cannot silently go stale the way a hand-written top-10 does.

The ranking

Michigan's deepest lakes, ranked

1250 ft
18,722 acres
Antrim County, MI
Torch Lake
limitedDepth map
44.97, -85.3118,722 acres | 250 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
250 ft maximum depth · 18,722 acres
2175 ft
9,869 acres
Benzie County, MI
Crystal Lake
limitedDepth map
44.66, -86.179,869 acres | 175 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
175 ft maximum depth · 9,869 acres
3162 ft
75 acres
Marquette County, MI
Lake Angeline
limitedDepth map
46.48, -87.6675 acres | 162 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
162 ft maximum depth · 75 acres
4152 ft
511 acres
Charlevoix County, MI
Thumb Lake
limitedDepth map
45.19, -84.76511 acres | 152 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
152 ft maximum depth · 511 acres
5150 ft
8,195 acres
Antrim County, MI
Elk Lake
limitedDepth map
44.86, -85.388,195 acres | 150 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
150 ft maximum depth · 8,195 acres
6130 ft
10,186 acres
Roscommon County, MI
Higgins Lake
limitedDepth map
44.47, -84.7210,186 acres | 130 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
130 ft maximum depth · 10,186 acres
7130 ft
4,871 acres
Leelanau County, MI
Glen Lake
limitedDepth map
44.87, -85.984,871 acres | 130 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
130 ft maximum depth · 4,871 acres
8128 ft
416 acres
Iosco County, MI
Loon Lake
limitedDepth map
44.41, -83.82416 acres | 128 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
128 ft maximum depth · 416 acres
9123 ft
1,279 acres
Oakland County, MI
Cass Lake
limitedDepth map
42.61, -83.371,279 acres | 123 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
123 ft maximum depth · 1,279 acres
10123 ft
67 acres
Otsego County, MI
Heart Lake
limitedDepth map
44.89, -84.6967 acres | 123 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
123 ft maximum depth · 67 acres

Rank	Lake	County	Max depth	Acres
11	Lake Charlevoix	Charlevoix	122 ft	17,268
12	Otter Lake	Lapeer	117 ft	67
13	Orchard Lake	Oakland	111 ft	796
14	Gull Lake	Kalamazoo	110 ft	2,046
15	Chicagon Lake	Iron	110 ft	1,083
16	Long Lake	Iron	105 ft	60
17	Green Lake	Grand Traverse	102 ft	1,995
18	Big Bradford Lake	Otsego	102 ft	256
19	Walloon Lake	Charlevoix	100 ft	4,567
20	Golden Lake	Iron	100 ft	274
21	Duck Lake	Grand Traverse	98 ft	1,945
22	Rainy Lake	Presque Isle	98 ft	202
23	Shupac Lake	Crawford	97 ft	105
24	Upper Straits Lake	Oakland	96 ft	345
25	Lake Bellaire	Antrim	95 ft	1,789

By county

Deepest lakes by county

Oakland County (31)

Cass Lake · 123 ft

Gogebic County (23)

Beatons Lake · 90 ft

Van Buren County (16)

Cedar Lake · 84 ft

Cass County (15)

Birch Lake · 80 ft

Barry County (14)

Gun Lake · 68 ft

Iron County (14)

Chicagon Lake · 110 ft

Livingston County (12)

Bass Lake · 73 ft

Montcalm County (12)

Derby Lake · 87 ft

Marquette County (11)

Lake Angeline · 162 ft

Newaygo County (11)

Bills Lake · 90 ft

Lenawee County (10)

Allen Lake · 75 ft

Montmorency County (10)

Clear Lake · 90 ft

FAQ

Michigan lake records FAQ

What is the deepest lake in Michigan?

Torch Lake — Torch Lake in Antrim County has the deepest recorded IFR survey point of any ranked Michigan lake, at 250 feet — a historical DNR survey figure, not a modern re-survey.

How many Michigan lakes have an IFR-surveyed depth of at least 40 feet and at least 50 state-mapped acres?

387 Michigan lakes currently have an IFR-surveyed depth of at least 40 feet and at least 50 state-mapped acresin LakeList's aggregation of public DNR records.

Where do these numbers come from?

Every figure is drawn from public agency data — Michigan DNR Institute for Fisheries Research historical lake surveys (depths) and Michigan DNR GIS lake polygons (acreage) — as aggregated by LakeList. Each lake links to a full profile showing the underlying records.

Biggest lakes Best lakes by species All Michigan lakes

Source data: Michigan DNR Institute for Fisheries Research historical lake surveys (largely mid-1900s; depths not re-confirmed by modern survey) and Michigan DNR GIS lake polygons, as aggregated by LakeList.Lake outlines are shoreline shapes from LakeList and the USGS National Hydrography Dataset; they illustrate a lake's form and are not depth or navigation charts.

MI · ranked by public data

The 25 Deepest Lakes in Michigan

387 Michigan lakes have an IFR-surveyed depth of at least 40 feet and at least 50 state-mapped acres.

387lakes have an IFR-surveyed depth of at least 40 feet and at least 50 state-mapped acres

Torch Lake#1 at 250 ft maximum depth

Oakland Countymost qualifying lakes (31)

Methodology

How we rank Michigan's deepest lakes

Ranked by the deepest point recorded in Michigan DNR Institute for Fisheries Research (IFR) lake surveys — historical hand-drawn survey maps, largely mid-1900s, digitized by the DNR. Depths have not been re-confirmed by modern survey.
Only lakes with an IFR survey can rank; Michigan lakes without one are not listed rather than guessed at.
Lakes under 50 acres — or without a confidently matched Michigan DNR GIS lake polygon for acreage — are excluded from rankings.
Public access inventories are not yet tracked for Michigan, so access is never shown or ranked here.

The ranking

Michigan's deepest lakes, ranked

1250 ft
18,722 acres
Antrim County, MI
Torch Lake
limitedDepth map
44.97, -85.3118,722 acres | 250 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
250 ft maximum depth · 18,722 acres
2175 ft
9,869 acres
Benzie County, MI
Crystal Lake
limitedDepth map
44.66, -86.179,869 acres | 175 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
175 ft maximum depth · 9,869 acres
3162 ft
75 acres
Marquette County, MI
Lake Angeline
limitedDepth map
46.48, -87.6675 acres | 162 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
162 ft maximum depth · 75 acres
4152 ft
511 acres
Charlevoix County, MI
Thumb Lake
limitedDepth map
45.19, -84.76511 acres | 152 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
152 ft maximum depth · 511 acres
5150 ft
8,195 acres
Antrim County, MI
Elk Lake
limitedDepth map
44.86, -85.388,195 acres | 150 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
150 ft maximum depth · 8,195 acres
6130 ft
10,186 acres
Roscommon County, MI
Higgins Lake
limitedDepth map
44.47, -84.7210,186 acres | 130 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
130 ft maximum depth · 10,186 acres
7130 ft
4,871 acres
Leelanau County, MI
Glen Lake
limitedDepth map
44.87, -85.984,871 acres | 130 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
130 ft maximum depth · 4,871 acres
8128 ft
416 acres
Iosco County, MI
Loon Lake
limitedDepth map
44.41, -83.82416 acres | 128 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
128 ft maximum depth · 416 acres
9123 ft
1,279 acres
Oakland County, MI
Cass Lake
limitedDepth map
42.61, -83.371,279 acres | 123 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
123 ft maximum depth · 1,279 acres
10123 ft
67 acres
Otsego County, MI
Heart Lake
limitedDepth map
44.89, -84.6967 acres | 123 ft max0 public access pointsSpecies pending
123 ft maximum depth · 67 acres

Rank	Lake	County	Max depth	Acres
11	Lake Charlevoix	Charlevoix	122 ft	17,268
12	Otter Lake	Lapeer	117 ft	67
13	Orchard Lake	Oakland	111 ft	796
14	Gull Lake	Kalamazoo	110 ft	2,046
15	Chicagon Lake	Iron	110 ft	1,083
16	Long Lake	Iron	105 ft	60
17	Green Lake	Grand Traverse	102 ft	1,995
18	Big Bradford Lake	Otsego	102 ft	256
19	Walloon Lake	Charlevoix	100 ft	4,567
20	Golden Lake	Iron	100 ft	274
21	Duck Lake	Grand Traverse	98 ft	1,945
22	Rainy Lake	Presque Isle	98 ft	202
23	Shupac Lake	Crawford	97 ft	105
24	Upper Straits Lake	Oakland	96 ft	345
25	Lake Bellaire	Antrim	95 ft	1,789

By county

Deepest lakes by county

Oakland County (31)

Cass Lake · 123 ft

Gogebic County (23)

Beatons Lake · 90 ft

Van Buren County (16)

Cedar Lake · 84 ft

Cass County (15)

Birch Lake · 80 ft

Barry County (14)

Gun Lake · 68 ft

Iron County (14)

Chicagon Lake · 110 ft

Livingston County (12)

Bass Lake · 73 ft

Montcalm County (12)

Derby Lake · 87 ft

Marquette County (11)

Lake Angeline · 162 ft

Newaygo County (11)

Bills Lake · 90 ft

Lenawee County (10)

Allen Lake · 75 ft

Montmorency County (10)

Clear Lake · 90 ft

FAQ

Michigan lake records FAQ

What is the deepest lake in Michigan?

Torch Lake — Torch Lake in Antrim County has the deepest recorded IFR survey point of any ranked Michigan lake, at 250 feet — a historical DNR survey figure, not a modern re-survey.

How many Michigan lakes have an IFR-surveyed depth of at least 40 feet and at least 50 state-mapped acres?

387 Michigan lakes currently have an IFR-surveyed depth of at least 40 feet and at least 50 state-mapped acresin LakeList's aggregation of public DNR records.

Where do these numbers come from?

Biggest lakes Best lakes by species All Michigan lakes

The 25 Deepest Lakes in Michigan

How we rank Michigan's deepest lakes

Michigan's deepest lakes, ranked

Torch Lake

Crystal Lake

Lake Angeline

Thumb Lake

Elk Lake

Higgins Lake

Glen Lake

Loon Lake

Cass Lake

Heart Lake

Deepest lakes by county

Michigan lake records FAQ

What is the deepest lake in Michigan?

How many Michigan lakes have an IFR-surveyed depth of at least 40 feet and at least 50 state-mapped acres?

Where do these numbers come from?

The 25 Deepest Lakes in Michigan

How we rank Michigan's deepest lakes

Michigan's deepest lakes, ranked

Torch Lake

Crystal Lake

Lake Angeline

Thumb Lake

Elk Lake

Higgins Lake

Glen Lake

Loon Lake

Cass Lake

Heart Lake

Deepest lakes by county

Michigan lake records FAQ

What is the deepest lake in Michigan?

How many Michigan lakes have an IFR-surveyed depth of at least 40 feet and at least 50 state-mapped acres?

Where do these numbers come from?