Long Lake
Dusk view of Long Lake from the north shore
Location of the lake in Michigan.
Location of the lake in Michigan.
Long Lake
LocationLong Lake and Green Lake townships, Grand Traverse County, Michigan, U.S.
Coordinates44°43′23″N 85°45′28″W / 44.72306°N 85.75778°W / 44.72306; -85.75778
TypeLake
Primary inflowsMickey Lake, Ruth Lake, Fern Lake, Page Lake
Primary outflowsPlatte River[1]
Max. length3.96 mi (6.37 km)
Max. width1.86 mi (2.9 km)
Surface area2,860 acres (12 km2)[1]
Average depth26 ft (8 m)
Max. depth88 ft (27 m)[1]
Shore length116.71 mi (26.9 km)
Surface elevation846 feet (258 m)[2]
IslandsPicnic Island, Long Island, Fox Island, South Island, Brush Island
SettlementsNeal (ghost town), Long Lake Peninsula
1 Shore length is not a well-defined measure.

Long Lake is a large lake in the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Located about 6 miles (9.7 km) west of Traverse City, Long Lake is the largest lake in Grand Traverse County, and the 30th-largest inland lake in Michigan by surface area.[2] Its maximum depth of 70 feet (21 m) makes it the fifth-deepest lake in Grand Traverse County. Long Lake is home to the largest nesting population of loons in the Lower Peninsula.[3]

Long Lake is primarily within the eponymous Long Lake Township, although a small portion extends south into Green Lake Township. The lake is the primary source of the Platte River, which flows west through Benzie County to Lake Michigan.

Geography

Long Lake is located in Northern Michigan, in northwestern Grand Traverse County. It is mainly situated within Long Lake Township, of which it has lent its name, although a small portion of the southern end of the lake lies within Green Lake Township.

Long Lake is primary headwaters of the Platte River, which flows westward from the lake, warming as it flows to Lake Michigan in neighboring Benzie County.[4]

The Carter-Strong Bird Sanctuary is a protection area at the southwestern end of the lake.[5]

Recreation

Long Lake is well-known in the area for being a popular recreation lake.

There are three public parks on the shores of the lake:[6]

  • Taylor Park
  • Gilbert Park
  • Crescent Shores Park & Boat Launch

Many homeowners on the lake also own boats. Boaters on the lake choose to swim, water ski, and fish. Many varieties of fish live in the lake, but fishers tend to find bluegill, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, rock bass, smallmouth bass, sunfish, walleye and yellow perch.[7]

Islands

Below is a list of the islands in Long Lake:

  • Picnic Island (formerly Covell Island[8])
  • Long Island
  • Fox Island
  • South Island
  • Brush Island

South and Fox islands are owned by the Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy.[9]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 Miller, J.B., and Thompson, T., 1970. Compilation of data for Michigan lakes: U.S. Geological Survey Open-File-Report, 368 p.
  2. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Long Lake (Grand Traverse County, Michigan)
  3. ↑ rkiehle. "Fish & Wildlife". Long Lake Association. Retrieved 2023-01-23.
  4. ↑ "Platte River Watershed Implementation Project" (PDF). Benzie Conservation District. Retrieved February 23, 2022.
  5. ↑ "Carter Strong Bird Sanctuary - Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy". Grand Traverse Regional Land Conservancy. Retrieved 2017-11-24.
  6. ↑ "Long Lake Twp. Parks Map" (PDF).
  7. ↑ "Long Lake". Lake-Link. Retrieved 2017-11-24.
  8. ↑ LLC, Historic Map Works. "Long Lake Township, Atlas: Grand Traverse County 1908, Michigan Historical Map". www.historicmapworks.com. Retrieved 2020-05-18.
  9. ↑ "Long Lake Facts | Long Lake Association | Traverse City, Michigan". Long Lake Association. Retrieved 2017-11-24.
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