Living on Houghton Lake: Michigan's biggest inland lake

Houghton Lake is the headliner around here — the largest inland lake in Michigan, with more than 30 miles of shoreline and the year-round resort communities of Houghton Lake, Prudenville, and Houghton Lake Heights wrapped around it. If you want a lively lake town with restaurants, marinas, and plenty going on, this is the spot.

The thing to understand about Houghton Lake is that it’s big but shallow — it averages under 10 feet deep. That means warm water and excellent fishing for walleye, pike, bass, and panfish. (Don’t come looking for deep, cold-water trout — that’s Higgins Lake, a few miles north.) In winter the lake freezes solid and turns into a giant ice-fishing village; the Tip-Up Town USA festival in January is a local institution.

A couple of practical things for buyers: many lakefront homes here are tied into a community sewer system instead of a backyard septic field, which helps keep the lake clean — ask which one a property uses. And homes on the lake usually fall under a lake board that charges a yearly special assessment for things like holding the water level steady and treating weeds. Find out what that runs before you buy.