Mullett Lake, Burt Lake, and the resort towns

Two of the biggest inland lakes in Michigan sit right in the middle of Cheboygan County: Burt Lake and Mullett Lake, the fourth- and fifth-largest in the state. They’re the heart of the Inland Waterway, joined to each other by the short Indian River, and they’ve drawn summer people for well over a hundred years.

Each lake has its own gathering spots. Indian River, the village tucked between the two lakes, is the busy hub — marinas, restaurants, and the boat traffic of the whole water route passing through. Over on Mullett Lake, Topinabee is a quiet old resort settlement with a public beach. Both lakes have a state park on the water, too: Aloha State Park on Mullett Lake and Burt Lake State Park on Burt Lake’s south shore, each with a beach, a campground, and a boat launch. People come for the swimming, the boating, and the walleye and bass fishing.

If you’re shopping for a place on either lake, the usual waterfront questions matter most: exactly where your lot meets the water, whether you own true frontage or share access through an association, and the age of the septic system (see the well-and-septic note). Lakefront on Burt and Mullett holds its value, so it’s worth getting the details right.