Thirty-four lakes in one township: Oakland's lake country

The glaciers were generous with northwest Oakland County. Waterford Township alone contains 34 named lakes — locals like to say you could swim a different one every day for a month. The chain continues through West Bloomfield, Commerce, and White Lake, until the map looks more shoreline than land. Cass Lake anchors the chain: 1,280 acres, 123 feet deep, and the largest inland lake in southeast Michigan. Waterford and West Bloomfield share it, and the little lake towns of Keego Harbor, Sylvan Lake, and Orchard Lake ring its shore.

Public access keeps the lake system from being only private shoreline. Dodge #4 State Park puts a sandy swimming beach on Cass Lake. Public launches serve lakes across the area, and Pontiac Lake Recreation Area adds trails and mountain biking along its northern edge. The result is an unusually large concentration of swimming, boating, fishing, and trail access inside metropolitan Detroit.