Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan At-a-Glance

One of Five Great Lakes

Lake Michigan is big, bold, and 100% American. It’s the only one of the five Great Lakes that doesn’t cross the border into Canada, but it still manages to be the third-largest by surface area and second-largest by volume.

The name comes from the Ojibwe word Michi Gami, which means “large lake.” Fitting, considering how it stretches over 300 miles long and holds enough water to stick around for decades. Once a drop gets in, it doesn’t leave for anywhere from 60 to 99 years.

Located in the Midwest

Bordering Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, and Indiana, this freshwater lake is more than just a pretty shoreline. It moderates the climate, fuels agriculture, powers city economies, and still makes room for beachgoers, surfers, fishers, and rock hunters.

Features

You’ll find sandy stretches, massive dunes, fishing boats, and freshwater so big it might as well be an ocean. Head to the Michigan side for the world’s largest collection of freshwater sand dunes. Or check out Green Bay, WI (yep, the bay itself), which is the largest freshwater estuary in the world.