Ken Smith Houghton Lake

Houghton Lake is a lake in Roscommon County, Michigan. The unincorporated community of Prudenville is at the southeastern end of the lake, while the unincorporated communities of Houghton Lake and Houghton Lake Heights are on the southwest and west shores. It is the largest inland lake in the state of Michigan, and one of the largest nat…
Houghton Lake is a lake in Roscommon County, Michigan. The unincorporated community of Prudenville is at the southeastern end of the lake, while the unincorporated communities of Houghton Lake and Houghton Lake Heights are on the southwest and west shores. It is the largest inland lake in the state of Michigan, and one of the largest natural inland lakes in the United States. The lake is approximately 10 miles north to south, and about 5+1⁄2 miles at it widest point. Houghton Lake has c. 30 miles of total shoreline and its waters cover 20,044 acres. It is an extremely popular resort and fishing area year round. Houghton Lake is the site of Tip-Up-Town USA, a large ice fishing and winter sports festival with several events on the frozen waters of the lake itself. Houghton Lake is named after the first state geologist, Douglass Houghton who explored the area. Houghton County, in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan is also named after Douglass Houghton. The name of the lake is pronounced by Michigan citizens as "HOTE'n".
  • Location: Roscommon County, Michigan
  • Primary inflows: Cut River
  • Primary outflows: Muskegon River
  • Basin countries: United States
  • Max. length: 10.0 mi (16.1 km)
  • Max. width: 5.5 mi (8.9 km)
  • Surface area: 20,044 acres (8,112 ha)
Data from: en.wikipedia.org