Description - Touching four of the five Great Lakes, Michigan's 3,288-mile shoreline consist of two separate areas, Upper Peninsula and Lower Peninsula. Along Michigan's western shore lies the Great Lake Michigan. The southeastern shore fringes Lake Erie and the northeastern shore borders Lake Huron. Along the Upper Peninsula, Lake Superior dominates. Michigan's Great Lake harbors are an area of domestic and international commerce and also a rich haven for recreation. Popular destinations include Tawas Bay, Saginaw Bay, and Traverse Bay. Compounding the rich natural resource of the Great Lakes, Michigan has over 11,000 smaller lakes and thousands of miles of rivers and streams. As a result, the state is one of the leading industrial, farming, tourist, and mining states in the nation.
Copyright: Michigan State Parks & Forests
Duck Lake State Park features a towering sand dune and ideal water sports.
- Michigan has several nicknames; one such name is The Water Wonderland. With lands that share the Great Lakes, Michigan has more fresh water than any other state in the United States. Outdoor enthusiasts descending on Michigan's waters are limited only by their imagination. State parks, national parks and forests, national wildlife refuges, and a host of other public lands border both the interior waters and the Great Lakes.
Popular destinations include Lake Michigan's Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore where visitors enjoy beautiful coastal forests, white sand beaches, and towering 460-foot dune formations. Sterling State Park, sitting on the shores of Lake Erie's Brest Bay, provides good wildlife and bird life viewing opportunities amid the marshland habitat. Lake Huron is a Mecca of destinations including Tawas Point and Harrisville State Parks, Huron National Forest and Harbor Island National Wildlife Refuge. Situated along the rugged shores of Lake Superior, well known hiking parks include Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore, Porcupine Mountains Wilderness State Park, and Tahquamenon Falls State Park. Michigan is also home to the only seasonal national park in the country, Isle Royale National Park. Located approximately 50 miles north of the mainland via a 6-hour ferry ride, Isle Royale is surrounded by Lake Superior and is recognized as the best backpacking park east of the Rockies. Rivers and streams are a major contributor to Michigan's popularity. The Black River, which passes through the Ottawa National Forest, has been designated a National Wild and Scenic River attracting thousands of nature lovers each year. Found in the Lower Peninsula, the scenic Au Sable River is a major tributary to Lake Huron providing an array of experiences that include everything from power boating to viewing migrations. The Big Sable, Presque Isle, and Pine rivers are just three more waterways amid a lengthy list of recreation attractions.
Recreation - Much of Michigan's recreation centers on its most plentiful natural resource. Water sport enthusiasts can water ski, sail, scuba dive, swim, freshwater fish, hunt for waterfowl, canoe, kayak, ice fish, enjoy the thrill of wave running or just kick back and relax while floating on a pontoon and houseboat.
Climate - This state normally experiences mild summers with average temperatures near 70 to 80 degrees F. Nights can be cool in the northern reaches of the state with lows dipping near 50 degrees F. August and September are the wettest months on average. Fall temperatures begin to cool in mid September, which brings a spectacular fall foliage color change. Days are crisp and nights chilly during this time of year. Winters can be brutal in Michigan with lake-effect snows bringing 200 inches of snow to some areas in the Upper Peninsula. Spring reaches the southern regions of the state in late March and a few weeks later in the north. This time of year is also very wet with snow melt and spring rains.
Michigan Lakes are scatttered throughout the entire state.