11 Deepest Lakes In Michigan

The older I get, the less I care, but when swimming in one of Michigan's 11,000-plus lakes, I have always, in the back of my mind, feared what lurks below my feet. It's not that I'm scared of fish nibbling on toes, and I'm smart enough to steer clear of snapping turtles. It's the blackness, the void of light in some of Michigan's deepest waters, that gives me the creeps.

According to WaterOnTheWeb, sunlight can travel as far as 60 meters (196 feet) in turbid or choppy water and as far as 100 meters (around 325 feet) if the water is crystal clear. And yes, many of Michigan's 11 deepest lakes go well beyond those depths, leaving a pool of black below.

What's Lurking Below the Surface of Michigan's Deepest Lakes

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For those who despise 'icky toe,' or the feeling of lake vegetation touching your feet, you'll be happy to know that most of it stops growing 20 feet, though it varies from lake to lake. However, plenty of living creatures call that depth and beyond home.

You'd assume that the deepest lakes in the Great Lakes State would all be—Great Lakes. But one inland lake beats out one of Michigan's most prominent by several feet. Ready to take the plunge?

The 11 Deepest Lakes in Michigan

Using information from Michigan.gov and the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), here's a look at the waters that plunge the deepest in the Great Lakes State. Let's countdown to #1 with the 11 Deepest Lakes in Michigan.

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow

Adella Shores: Century Old Shipwreck Discovered in Lake Superior

The Adella Shores disappeared on May 1, 1909, during a gale in Michigan's Lake Superior near Whitefish Point. Over 100 years after the ship 'Went Missing,' the wreckage of the 195-foot wooden steamer has been found 650 feet below the icy waters of Lake Superior. Here's a look at the Adella Shores today, courtesy of the Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum.

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow

Draining Lake Superior to Reveal Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald

Seeing the wreck of the S.S. Edmund Fitzgerald with any clarity is almost impossible in the cloudy waters of Lake Superior. Blue Star Line has used the latest digital imagery to pull the plug on Michigan's largest lake, to give us a one-of-a-kind view of our state's most legendary sunken ship.

Gallery Credit: Scott Clow

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