The Great Lakes

Lake Huron Colors 5

 I live in Michigan 18 miles south of the southern end of Lake Huron. I’ve visited areas bordered by each of the Great Lakes many times since I have lived in Michigan all my life. I live along the Saint Clair River that runs south from Lake Huron to Lake Saint Clair, a smaller lake, which leads through the Detroit River to Lake Erie, then East to Lake Ontario. 

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I know people who don’t travel much or who have never seen one of the Great Lakes do not always appreciate how large they are. When I take a trip to the northern tip of Michigan’s lower peninsula right to the Mackinac Bridge, the drive mostly on freeways, takes five hours. That’s five hours to drive the length of Lake Huron. And let’s be clear, you cannot see across to the other side of any of these lakes unless you are right at either end. You might as well be looking at the ocean.

 

Here are some facts for you. Lake Huron and Lake Michigan are actually considered one body of water as they join at the Mackinac bridge that connects the lower peninsula of Michigan to the upper peninsula.

The Great Lakes contain approximately 35,000 islands, the largest of which is Manitoulin Island in Lake Huron. It’s the largest inland Island in the world.

A Day at the Beach 1

The size of each lake in surface area in square miles is as follows:

Lake Erie    9,910
Lake Huron    23,000
Lake Michigan     23,300
Lake Ontario    7,340
Lake Superior    31,700

Average depth of each lake in feet

Lake Erie    62
Lake Huron    195
Lake Michigan    279
Lake Ontario    283
Lake Superior    483

The maximum depth of Lake Superior is 1,333 feet.

The approximate combined shoreline length is 10,500 miles with most of that bordering the state of Michigan. Lake Superior is the second largest lake in the world and the largest fresh water lake in the world. If the water from the Great Lakes were spread over the contiguous United States, the water would be five feet deep.

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I love these lakes. They create their own weather and visually, the color changes of sky and water throughout the seasons and depending on the cloud cover are beautiful.

If I have a choice in the matter, I never want to move out of Michigan, the state where I was born and raised. I would miss the change of seasons here and I would miss my beloved lakes.

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Lake Huron Pilings

Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore 25

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