Lake Michigan - Great Lakes Commission

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Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan, the second largest Great Lake by volume with just under 1,180 cubic miles of water, is the only Great Lake entirely within the United States. Approximately 118 miles wide and 307 miles long, Lake Michigan has more than 1,600 miles of shoreline. Averaging 279 feet in depth, the lake reaches 925 feet at its deepest point.

The lake’s northern tier is in the colder, less developed upper Great Lakes region, while its more temperate southern basin contains the Milwaukee and Chicago metropolitan areas. The drainage basin, approximately twice as large as the 22,300 square miles of surface water, includes portions of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Wisconsin.

Lake Michigan is hydrologically inseparable from Lake Huron, joined by the wide Straits of Mackinac.

Frankfort Lighthouse on Lake Michigan in Frankfort, Michigan © flickr/Katy Silberger

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