Lake St. Clair and Lake Erie have long been reliable sources of water activities in Detroit. But the surrounding area offers plenty of alternatives, many of which provide year-round recreation.
Many of the lakes have excellent swimming beaches and floating water parks for summertime fun. Fishing, kayaking, paddleboarding, and power boating are popular activities, too.
In winter, most lakes offer ice fishing, ice sailing, cross-country skiing, and ice skating.
Here is a selection of the best spots within an hour’s drive from Detroit. Check them out!
Lakes near Detroit:
- Lake St. Clair
- Lake Erie
- Thelma Spencer Park
- Stony Creek Lake
- Belleville Lake
- Ford Lake
- Newburgh Lake
- Walled Lake
- Kent Lake
- Cass Lake
- Proud Lake
- Pontiac Lake
- Lower Trout Lake
- Lake Sixteen
- Holly Recreation Area
1. Lake St. Clair
- Website: Lake St. Clair
- Distance from Detroit: 8 miles (20 min)
- Activities: Fishing, Swimming, Boating, Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding, Picnics, Hiking, Biking, Sailing, Water Skiing, Wakeboarding, Tubing, Cross-Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Ice-Fishing
Sometimes called the “sixth Great Lake,” Lake St. Clair came into existence after glacial activity during the Ice Age.
This heart-shaped body of water, shared by the United States and Canada, has a surface area of approximately 275,200 acres.
Water enters the lake from Lake Huron through the 40-mile-long St. Clair River before continuing through the Detroit River into Lake Erie.
Noticed by the French in 1679 and named for Saint Clare of Assisi, this lake sustained Native American cultures for thousands of years.
This 26 miles by 24 miles lake offers an interesting geographic “inversion” where Canadian lands around Windsor and Ontario are sitting south of downtown Detroit.
Popular Michigan recreation spots offer access locations. These include the 770-acre Lake St. Clair Metropark in Harrison Township, the City of Grosse Pointe Farms’ Pier Park, Neff Park and Matthew C. Patterson Park in Grosse Pointe, and A.B. Ford Park in Detroit.
Fish caught in Lake St. Clair include catfish, walleye, bass, crappie, perch, sturgeon, sunfish, and muskellunge.
2. Lake Erie
- Website: Lake Erie
- Distance from Detroit: 29 miles (35 min)
- Activities: Fishing, Swimming, Boating, Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding, Picnics, Camping, Hiking, Biking, Sailing, Water Skiing, Wakeboarding, Tubing, Cross-Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Ice-Fishing
Lake Erie is the most shallow and southern of the Great Lakes. Water enters this lake after passing through St. Clair River, Lake St. Clair, and the Detroit River before continuing on its journey toward Niagara Falls.
A little more than 20 miles south-southwest of downtown Detroit, the 1,607-acre Lake Erie Metropark attracts visitors from throughout the region.
Open year-round, the park has sports fields, trails for hiking and biking, and lakefront access points for boating, kayaking, and canoeing.
A short distance south of Lake Erie Metropark, the 7,483-acre Pointe Mouillee State Game Area has been a popular hunting place since 1945 that is also visited by those who enjoy hiking and bike riding.
Michigan’s only state park on Lake Erie is William C. Sterling State Park, located 35 miles south-southwest of the city. Known as a great spot for walleye fishing, this park offers lakefront camping, picnicking, and wildlife viewing.
3. Thelma Spencer Park
- Website: Thelma Spencer Park
- Distance from Detroit: 24 miles (30 min)
- Activities: Fishing, Swimming, Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding, Picnics, Hiking, Cross-Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Ice-Fishing, Ice Skating
Thelma Spencer Park is a community gem in Rochester Hills, 20 miles north of downtown Detroit, with Carter Lake as its centerpiece.
This 38-acre artificial lake sits on land that once served as a sand quarry with subterranean springs. The 113-acre park honors the civic leadership of Thelma Spencer, a lifelong resident of the area.
Carter Lake is available for swimming between Memorial Day and Labor Day, with an accessible fishing pier and seasonal watercraft rentals.
The park also has natural paths, tennis courts, a playground area, and sports fields.
Wintertime visitors enjoy cross-country skiing. Those who cast a line in the lake often catch bluegill and largemouth bass.
4. Stony Creek Lake
- Website: Stony Creek Lake
- Distance from Detroit: 35 miles (45 min)
- Activities: Fishing, Swimming, Boating, Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding, Picnics, Camping, Hiking, Biking, Sailing, Cross-Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Ice-Fishing, Ice Skating
Located 35 miles north of downtown, Stony Creek Lake sits within Stony Creek Metropark, a 4,435-acre recreation destination in Washington Township and Oakland Charter Township.
The 497-acre artificial reservoir took shape after workers impounded a section of Stony Creek. The lake and adjacent wetlands and woodlands host a variety of wildlife.
The park offers a wide selection of activities. From sporting facilities for baseball and basketball to golf and disc golf courses, the grounds offer year-round recreation opportunities.
Hiking, biking, camping, snowboarding, sledding, cross-country skiing, and ice skating bring people to Stony Creek. Programs at the park’s Nature Center offer opportunities to learn about the local ecosystem.
Anglers also fish from the embankment. Common species include channel catfish, bass, yellow perch, bluegill, walleye, and northern pike.
5. Belleville Lake
- Website: Belleville Lake
- Distance from Detroit: 26 miles (30 min)
- Activities: Fishing, Swimming, Boating, Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding, Picnics, Hiking, Cross-Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Ice-Fishing
Belleville Lake is an impounded section of the Huron River located approximately 25 miles west-southwest of downtown Detroit.
The lake was created after the construction of the French Landing Dam and Powerhouse. The construction submerged the abandoned community of Rawsonville that once sat along the river.
When this hydroelectric dam entered service in 1925, the reservoir originally had the name Edison Lake.
Several lakefront parks provide access to Belleville Lake. The easternmost of these, French Landing Park, sits on land adjacent to the dam.
Doane’s Landing and Horizon Park offer small park areas on the lake’s southern shore within Belleville. On the north side, Van Buren Park is a larger site with trails, a summertime beach, and a slight hill for winter sledding.
The Belleville Boat Launch has a hard-surface ramp for smaller boats. Near the far western end of this seven-mile-long lake, the 46-acre North Hydro Park offers seasonal access.
Anglers find a variety of fish in the lake. These include black crappie, bluegill, catfish, bass, sunfish, pike, yellow perch, and muskellunge.
6. Ford Lake
- Website: Ford Lake
- Distance from Detroit: 37 miles (40 min)
- Activities: Fishing, Boating, Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding, Picnics, Hiking, Biking, Sailing, Water Skiing, Wakeboarding, Tubing, Cross-Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Ice-Fishing
Immediately west of Belleview, the construction of Ford Lake Dam in the 1930s impounded another portion of the Huron River to create Ford Lake.
Named for Henry Ford, the 975-acre reservoir offers a popular venue for boating, canoeing, kayaking, and fishing in Ypsilanti.
The city has created a number of parks along Ford Lake. North Bay Park sits on 139 acres along the lake’s western end, with year-round access and a variety of trails, picnic areas, and an observation tower.
Covering 98 acres, Ford Lake Park offers year-round access to fields, trails, and sports facilities, along with a canoe and boat launch.
Playgrounds and fishing access are also available at Lakeside Park and Loonfeather Point Park. Big Island Park, an undeveloped park on an island in the lake’s center, is a place boaters often visit.
Ford Lake hosts many fish species of interest to anglers. These include sunfish, walleye, bass, crappie, perch, and catfish.
7. Newburgh Lake
- Website: Newburgh Lake
- Distance from Detroit: 24 miles (30 min)
- Activities: Fishing, Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding, Picnics, Hiking, Biking
A drive 24 miles west of downtown, Newburgh Lake was originally created in a partnership between Wayne County, the Ford Motor Company, and the federal government during the New Deal.
Crews impounded a portion of the Middle Rouge River in 1934 at the point where Newburgh Road currently crosses this body of water.
Sumac Point, sometimes known as Newburgh Lake Peninsula, is a park on the lake’s northeastern side, near the dam, that also has a launch.
The Lakeview mountain bike trail follows the forested south shore of the lake, with the Riverview trail continuing east of the lake and past the dam alongside the river.
Fish found in this lake in Livonia include bluegill, bullhead, catfish, sunfish, and smallmouth and largemouth bass.
8. Walled Lake
- Website: Walled Lake
- Distance from Detroit: 31 miles (35 min)
- Activities: Fishing, Swimming, Boating, Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding, Picnics, Hiking, Biking, Sailing, Water Skiing, Wakeboarding, Tubing, Cross-Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Ice-Fishing
A glacial kettle lake with many stories to tell, Walled Lake is located 30 miles northwest of downtown. The Potawatomi Native Americans lived along this 670-acre lake until the 19th century.
Legends claim that an early settler saw a stone wall along the lake in 1825; though unsubstantiated, this story gave the lake and nearby city its name. By the 1920s, the lake became a popular getaway destination for Detroiters in their automobiles.
Waterfront cottages soon appeared along part of the lake, along with a casino, rollercoaster, and other attractions that became part of Walled Lake Amusement Park.
By 1968, when this attraction closed, the lake had suffered from years of pollution. Since 1979, the cities of Novi and Walled Lake have worked in partnership to restore the lake that they share.
Opened in 2013, the 11-acre Pavilion Shore Park sits on the lake’s southern shore in Novi, at the former amusement park site. Mercer Beach is a smaller park on the northern shore of Walled Lake.
Fish found in this lake include northern pike, as well as smallmouth and largemouth bass.
9. Kent Lake
- Website: Kent Lake
- Distance from Detroit: 39 miles (45 min)
- Activities: Fishing, Swimming, Boating, Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding, Picnics, Camping, Hiking, Biking, Sailing, Cross-Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Ice-Fishing
Forty miles northwest of the heart of Detroit, Kent Lake once existed as a natural lake that was approximately 70 acres in size.
In 1947, crews impounded a section of the upper Huron River, causing the rising waters to expand Kent Lake to approximately 1,200 acres.
Along with the also-expanding Wildwing Lake immediately to the west, this reservoir is a focal point of the 4,481-acre Kensington Metropark.
Similar to Stony Creek Lake, Kensington Metropark includes a wide range of year-round activities. With everything from cross-country skiing paths to hayrides and a waterslide, this park is a great escape to the outdoors.
Common activities people enjoy include biking, hiking, camping, boating, horseback riding, golf, sledding, snowboarding, picnicking, and riding on the Island Queen pontoon boat.
Those who fish here will find bass, catfish, walleye, and pike.
10. Cass Lake
- Website: Cass Lake
- Distance from Detroit: 32 miles (45 min)
- Activities: Fishing, Swimming, Boating, Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding, Picnics, Hiking, Biking, Sailing, Water Skiing, Wakeboarding, Tubing, Cross-Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Ice-Fishing
Thirty miles north-northwest of the city, Cass Lake is the deepest and largest body of water within Oakland County.
This 1,280-acre lake is named for the 2nd governor of Michigan Territory, Lewis Cass, who served from 1813 until 1831.
This glacial lake is one of many in the area that includes Sylvan, Elizabeth, Otter, Pine, and Orchard Lakes.
Located on the lake’s northern end, Dodge #4 State Park is a popular spot for boaters, swimmers, paddlers, and anglers that the Dodge Brothers Corporation donated to the state in 1922, six years before that company became part of Chrysler.
West Bloomfield’s Marshbank Park is another popular park that sits along the lake’s southwestern shore.
Fish frequenting these waters include bass, bluegill, yellow perch, splake, and lake trout. Ice fishing is very popular.
11. Proud Lake
- Website: Proud Lake
- Distance from Detroit: 37 miles (40 min)
- Activities: Fishing, Swimming, Boating, Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding, Picnics, Camping, Hiking, Biking, Cross-Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Ice-Fishing
Proud Lake is 37 miles northwest of downtown Detroit. Acquisition of public lands to create the Proud Lake Recreation Area began in 1945, with the site opening the following year as a location for picnicking, swimming, hunting, winter sports, and a campground at the one-time Montclair Hunt Club.
Since the park’s beginnings, the mission of this 3,030-acre recreation area has expanded to include additional recreation activities. This site has 20 miles of hiking trails, nine of which of open to mountain bikes and horses.
Water activities are an important part of the experience of visiting Proud Lake. The section of the Huron River flowing through this area is especially scenic, with access to Proud Lake and nearby Moss Lake, popular choices for those who come to this natural retreat.
Boat launches provide locations for those who wish to paddle, canoe, or kayak in these waters, where wildflowers flourish during the spring and summer, and snow-draped evergreens attract winter visitors to the area.
Those who come to this year-round recreation retreat will enjoy fishing. Upper Proud Lake’s 55 acres and Lower Proud Lake’s 49 acres are well-known destinations for brown and rainbow trout. Other fish include bluegill, northern pike, yellow perch, and largemouth bass.
12. Pontiac Lake
- Website: Pontiac Lake
- Distance from Detroit: 37 miles (50 min)
- Activities: Fishing, Swimming, Boating, Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding, Picnics, Camping, Hiking, Biking, Sailing, Water Skiing, Wakeboarding, Tubing, Cross-Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Ice-Fishing
Pontiac Lake has a surface area of 585 acres in the upper Huron River watershed, a little more than 35 miles north-northwest of the heart of Motor City.
Once the location of a smaller body of water named Lime Lake, this reservoir grew in size after a dam impounded the water flow of the Huron River, which has its origins about six miles northwest of the lake, on Pontiac Lake’s current southeastern shore.
Located west of Oakland County International Airport and about seven miles from the City of Pontiac, the relatively shallow lake now has residential areas and other developments along much of its shore.
More than 60 percent of the reservoir has a depth of less than five feet, with only a small portion of the Pontiac Lake Recreation Area touching the lake’s northern shoreline.
Nevertheless, this 3,745-acre park does preserve some of the land north of the lake for year-round recreation opportunities and includes a beach of more than a half-mile on the lake’s northeastern shore, the longest beach in this part of the state.
Anglers who cast a line in Pontiac Lake can expect to find a variety of fish. These include catfish, bluegill, bass, walleye, sunfish, and bowfin.
13. Lower Trout Lake
- Website: Lower Trout Lake
- Distance from Detroit: 36 miles (40 min)
- Activities: Fishing, Swimming, Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding, Picnics, Hiking, Biking, Cross-Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Ice-Fishing
Thirty-six miles north of downtown, Lower Trout Lake is a 65-acre lake within Bald Mountain State Recreation Area. This 4,637-acre retreat is known for rugged terrain and steep hills, as well as outdoor activities throughout the year.
Hiking, biking, swimming, cross-country skiing, and snowmobiling are popular at this location. The beach at Lower Trout Lake has a floating water park, as well as kayak and paddleboard rentals.
The recreation area became a popular retreat when it fully opened in the late 1960s, offering a great escape from the growing urban areas south of Auburn Hills.
Since that time, fishing has remained a popular activity at Bald Mountain, with anglers enjoying their time along Lower Trout Lake.
Fish found in the lake include largemouth bass, panfish, northern pike, bluegill, and trout.
14. Lake Sixteen
- Website: Lake Sixteen
- Distance from Detroit: 37 miles (40 min)
- Activities: Fishing, Kayaking, Canoeing, Picnics, Hiking, Biking, Cross-Country Skiing, Snowshoeing
Lake Sixteen is a few miles northwest of Lower Trout Lake. Similar to many lakes in the area, this 91-acre body of water has origins as a kettle lake formed during the glacial period.
The lake sits within Orion Oaks, a 916-acre unit within the Oakland County Parks system. The lake has two convenient access points along Joslyn Road, which sits near its eastern end.
A dog beach/pier is found at the northeastern end of the lake, with a dock and launch for non-motorized boats available on Sixteen Lake’s eastern shore.
Fed by Sashabaw Creek, which enters the lake from the north, the water within Lake Sixteen ultimately continues southward from the parklands into Voorheis Lake.
Fish in this lake include bluegill, northern pike, and largemouth bass. A record yellow bullhead weighing 3.60 lbs. was caught in Lake Sixteen in 2003.
15. Holly Recreation Area
- Website: Holly Recreation Area
- Distance from Detroit: 48 miles (50 min)
- Activities: Fishing, Swimming, Kayaking, Canoeing, Paddleboarding, Picnics, Camping, Hiking, Biking, Cross-Country Skiing, Snowshoeing, Ice-Fishing
Holly Recreation Area is more than 45 miles north-northwest of the city. This preserve has more than 8,000 acres of fields and woodlands that offer opportunities for biking, hiking, fishing, camping, and winter activities.
This area includes recreation trails, a disc golf course, a large beach along Heron Lake, a floating water park, and boat launches along Heron Lake and Valley Lake.
Visitors can enjoy three lakes. Originally a five-acre lake, Heron Lake was expanded to a 132-acre impoundment in 1970. Immediately to the southeast, Valley Lake is joined with Wildwood Lake for a combined 91 acres.
Fish found in these lakes include bass, muskellunge, pike, walleye, bluegill, and perch.
More Lakes in Michigan:
