Largest lakes & reservoirs in Northwest Michigan by acres
There is no widely-accepted minimum surface area that defines a lake. What LakeLubbers describes as a lake, you might call a pond. Acreage of a lake (or sometimes square kilometers) is most often measured at the top surface area when the lake is at normal elevation. The surface area can be considerably smaller or larger when lake levels are lower or higher than normal. North America’s Lake Superior is the world’s largest freshwater lake by this measure.The other measure of a lake’s size is the lake’s water volume. By that measure, the world’s largest freshwater lake is Lake Baikal in Siberia.
You can find many of the world’s largest lakes (acres) on LakeLubbers in the comparison table below. Note: For some lakes, "Largest Lakes - Acres" data is unknown or does not apply, so you may see fewer lakes than the total 24 articles we have published for Northwest Michigan lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > Michigan > Northwest Michigan > Compared by surface area in acres. This list does not represent all lakes in Northwest Michigan, only the 24 Northwest Michigan lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name | Surface area in acres | Lake description |
---|---|---|
Paradise Lake (Michigan, Northwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1,900 ac | Also known as Carp Lake, Lake Paradise Paradise Lake is truly a lakelubber’s paradise. This 1900-acre lake in Michigan’s Northwest region has been a paradise for countless numbers of cottag … |
Lake Bellaire (Michigan, Northwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1,793 ac | Also known as Grass Lake Michigan has a bounty of beautiful lakes, and those found in Antrim County are no exception. Lake Bellaire is situated to the east of Lake Michigan; t … |
Intermediate Lake, MI (Michigan, Northwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1,570 ac | Also known as Central Lake, Elk River Chain of Lakes Intermediate Lake, in Antrim County is one of the main lakes in the Elk River Chain of Lakes which include Beals, Scotts, Six Mile, St. Clair, Ellswor … |
Little Glen Lake, MI (Michigan, Northwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1,415 ac | White sand beaches and strikingly blue water to rival the Caribbean don’t instantly call northwest Michigan to mind, but for Little Glen Lake it’s tru … |
Pickerel Lake, MI (Michigan, Northwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
1,080 ac | Pickerel Lake, in Michigan’s Northwest Region, is a nature lover’s delight. Part of the headwaters of the famed Inland Waterway, Pickerel Lake covers … |
Silver Lake, MI (Michigan, Northwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
600 ac | Pushing her kayak out into the water of Silver Lake, she glides through the early morning mist rising off the surface of the water. With steady, stron … |
Upper Herring Lake (Michigan, Northwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
542 ac | Upper Herring Lake is a modestly sized naturally occurring freshwater lake in the Traverse City Lakes area of Michigan, located in the northwestern pa … |
Spider Lake (Michigan, Northwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
459 ac | With more than 50 lakes in Grand Traverse County alone, Michigan is a wonderful state for lake lovers to explore. Spider Lake, in the Northwest touris … |
Clam Lake (Michigan, Northwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
439 ac | Clam Lake sparkles in the midst of northwest Michigan’s beautiful countryside. Tucked between Torch Lake and Lake Bellaire, Clam Lake is part of the l … |
Bass Lake, MI (Michigan, Northwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
344 ac | Most of the lakes in the northwest region of Michigan are glacial in origin, and Bass Lake is no exception. The lake has 344 surface acres of water wi … |
Round Lake MI (Michigan, Northwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
55 ac | Fireworks burst in the sky over Round Lake lighting up the skyline of Charlevoix. The city encircles the lake holding it like a treasure, the best nat … |
Perch Lake, MI (Michigan, Northwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
40 ac | Sipping wine on the dock at Perch Lake with nothing to break the quiet but the chorus of bullfrogs, time slows down – settling into a new rhythm. Peac … |