Updated 9 Oct 2026, 1:40 am EDT. Get alerts for Benzie County lakes
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40 lakes · 16,861 acres · 15 with measured depth · 12 with a public launch · 6 stocked
Benzie County has 40 lakes of 10 acres or more, 38 of them named, covering 16,861 acres of water. The largest is Crystal Lake at 9,869 acres, which is also the deepest measured, at 175 ft. Michigan DNR has surveyed the depth of 15 lakes here. Several names repeat: 2 lakes are called Mud Lake.
Lake outlines: Michigan hydrography (lakes of 10 acres or more). Depths: Michigan DNR lake surveys, fetched 7 Oct 2026. County line: U.S. Census TIGER. Not for navigation.
11 lakes in Benzie County cover 100 acres or more. The 12 largest are listed here; the full register of 38 named lakes follows.
| Lake | Acres | Deepest | Clarity | Launches | Last stocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Lake | 9,869 | 175 ft | 24 ft | 1 | 2026 |
| Platte Lake | 2,532 | 90 ft | 10 ft | 1 | 2013 |
| Little Platte Lake | 896 | 8 ft | 3 ft | 1 | |
| Upper Herring Lake | 572 | 25 ft | 8 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| Lake Ann | 501 | 75 ft | 13 ft | 1 | 1992 |
| Lower Herring Lake | 450 | 50 ft | 13 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| Long Lake | 327 | about 30 ft (est.) | 5 ft | 2019 | |
| Pearl Lake | 302 | about 30 ft (est.) | 10 ft | ||
| Betsie Lake | 289 | about 10 ft (est.) | 7 ft | 1 | |
| Grass Lake | 139 | about 25 ft (est.) | 4 ft | ||
| Rush Lake | 119 | about 15 ft (est.) | 1 ft | ||
| Loon Lake | 94 | about 15 ft (est.) | 13 ft |
| Lake | Acres | Deepest | Clarity | Launches | Last stocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crystal Lake | 9,869 | 175 ft | 24 ft | 1 | 2026 |
| Platte Lake | 2,532 | 90 ft | 10 ft | 1 | 2013 |
| Little Platte Lake | 896 | 8 ft | 3 ft | 1 | |
| Upper Herring Lake | 572 | 25 ft | 8 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| Lake Ann | 501 | 75 ft | 13 ft | 1 | 1992 |
| Lower Herring Lake | 450 | 50 ft | 13 ft | 1 | 2025 |
| Long Lake | 327 | about 30 ft (est.) | 5 ft | 2019 | |
| Pearl Lake | 302 | about 30 ft (est.) | 10 ft | ||
| Betsie Lake | 289 | about 10 ft (est.) | 7 ft | 1 | |
| Grass Lake | 139 | about 25 ft (est.) | 4 ft | ||
| Rush Lake | 119 | about 15 ft (est.) | 1 ft | ||
| Loon Lake | 94 | about 15 ft (est.) | 13 ft | ||
| Otter Lake | 64 | about 35 ft (est.) | 13 ft | ||
| Lake View | 55 | about 30 ft (est.) | 13 ft | ||
| Mud Lake, Lake Township | 54 | about 25 ft (est.) | 5 ft | ||
| Sanford Lake | 53 | about 35 ft (est.) | 13 ft | ||
| Bronson Lake | 45 | 38 ft | 14 ft | ||
| Turtle Lake | 41 | 20 ft | 9 ft | 1 | |
| Stevens Lake | 41 | 50 ft | 15 ft | 1 | |
| Herendeene Lake | 39 | 37 ft | 13 ft | 1 | |
| Mud Lake, Almira Township | 34 | ||||
| Upper Woodcock Lake | 34 | 45 ft | 17 ft | ||
| Garey Lake | 29 | 33 ft | 10 ft | 1 | |
| Bass Lake | 27 | about 30 ft (est.) | 15 ft | ||
| Lower Woodcock Lake | 22 | about 30 ft (est.) | 14 ft | ||
| Shorter Lake | 22 | about 30 ft (est.) | 13 ft | ||
| Brooks Lake | 21 | 33 ft | 13 ft | 1 | |
| Sweet Lake | 20 | about 35 ft (est.) | 18 ft | ||
| Bryan Lake | 20 | about 25 ft (est.) | 16 ft | ||
| Upper Twin Lake | 19 | about 25 ft (est.) | 15 ft | ||
| Ransom Lake | 17 | about 30 ft (est.) | 14 ft | ||
| Twin Lake | 17 | about 25 ft (est.) | 12 ft | ||
| Lime Lake | 16 | 25 ft | 14 ft | ||
| Round Lake | 15 | about 25 ft (est.) | 8 ft | ||
| Fuller Lake | 12 | 24 ft | 11 ft | ||
| Wiltz Lake | 11 | 9 ft | |||
| Lake Louise | 11 | 12 ft | |||
| Holden Lake | 11 | 14 ft |
Acres: Michigan hydrography. Deepest: Michigan DNR survey; "est." marks an older Michigan EGLE estimate, rounded to 5 ft. Clarity: Michigan EGLE satellite averages 2018–23. Launches: Michigan DNR. Stocking: Michigan DNR Fisheries. Fetched 7–8 Oct 2026.
3 lakes in Benzie County are 75 ft deep or more by Michigan DNR survey. Crystal Lake is the deepest at 175 ft, then Platte Lake (90 ft), Lake Ann (75 ft) and Lower Herring Lake (50 ft). The depth of the other 23 named lakes has not been surveyed; where an older state estimate exists, the register gives it as an estimate.
Michigan DNR lake survey deep points, fetched 7 Oct 2026.
Clarity is the depth at which a black-and-white Secchi disk disappears from view. Across 37 lakes with satellite readings, the middle value in Benzie County is 13 ft. The clearest is Crystal Lake at about 24 ft, then Sweet Lake (18 ft), Upper Woodcock Lake (17 ft) and Bryan Lake (16 ft). The least clear is Rush Lake at about 1 ft. Clarity is not a test for bacteria or algae toxins.
Michigan EGLE satellite-derived Secchi depth, averages 2018–23, fetched 7 Oct 2026.
Michigan DNR lists 12 public access sites on 12 lakes in Benzie County; 12 require a Recreation Passport. The other 26 named lakes have no public access site listed by Michigan DNR.
| Lake | Site | Facilities |
|---|---|---|
| Crystal Lake | Crystal Lake | 5 ramp lanes · 101 trailer spaces · 21 car spaces · vault toilet · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required |
| Platte Lake | Platte Lake | 1 ramp lane · 12 trailer spaces · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required |
| Little Platte Lake | Little Platte Lake | 1 ramp lane · 13 trailer spaces · 9 car spaces · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required |
| Upper Herring Lake | Upper Herring Lake | 1 ramp lane · 8 trailer spaces · 2 car spaces · vault toilet · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required |
| Lake Ann | Lake Ann SFCG | 1 ramp lane · 4 trailer spaces · 1 car space · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required |
| Lower Herring Lake | Lower Herring Lake | 1 ramp lane · 6 trailer spaces · Recreation Passport required |
| Betsie Lake | Frankfort Municipal Ramp | 10 ramp lanes · 50 trailer spaces · 6 car spaces · flush toilets · Recreation Passport required |
| Turtle Lake | Turtle Lake | 1 ramp lane · 6 trailer spaces · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required |
| Stevens Lake | Stevens Lake | 1 ramp lane · 3 trailer spaces · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required |
| Herendeene Lake | Herendeene Lake | 1 ramp lane · 4 trailer spaces · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required |
| Garey Lake | Garey Lake SFCG | 1 ramp lane · 4 trailer spaces · 2 car spaces · Recreation Passport required |
| Brooks Lake | Brooks Lake | 1 ramp lane · 3 trailer spaces · 2 car spaces · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required |
Michigan DNR boating access sites, fetched 8 Oct 2026.
Michigan DNR has stocked 6 lakes in Benzie County 297 times since 1979. Walleye went into 3 lakes: Lower Herring Lake, Platte Lake and Upper Herring Lake. The most recent stocking was 19,998 rainbow trout in Crystal Lake on 16 April 2026. Crystal Lake and Betsie Lake are designated trout lakes (Type E, Type F), with their own seasons and limits. Rivers and smaller waters stocked in the county: Betsie River, Lake Michigan, Little Lime Lake, North Branch Platte River and Platte River.
| Species | Lakes | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Walleye | 3 | Lower Herring Lake, Platte Lake and Upper Herring Lake |
| Brown trout | 3 | Crystal Lake, Lake Ann and Platte Lake |
| Rainbow trout | 1 | Crystal Lake |
| Lake trout | 1 | Crystal Lake |
| Hybrid sunfish | 1 | Long Lake |
| Largemouth bass | 1 | Long Lake |
| Yellow perch | 1 | Long Lake |
| Fathead minnow | 1 | Long Lake |
| Smallmouth bass | 1 | Long Lake |
| Atlantic salmon | 1 | Crystal Lake |
2026: 4 stockings, 86,081 fish in 1 lake.
Michigan DNR Fisheries stocking records, fetched 8 Oct 2026. Each stocking is placed by its survey section, so lakes that share a name are kept apart. How we measure
40 lakes of 10 acres or more, 38 of them named, in Michigan's hydrography layer. Smaller ponds are not counted.
Crystal Lake, at 9,869 acres.
Crystal Lake, 175 ft at its deepest point by Michigan DNR survey.
Crystal Lake, with an average Secchi depth of about 24 ft (satellite readings, 2018–23).
Michigan DNR lists public access sites on Crystal Lake, Platte Lake, Little Platte Lake, Upper Herring Lake, Lake Ann, Lower Herring Lake, Betsie Lake and Turtle Lake and 4 more.
Lower Herring Lake, Platte Lake and Upper Herring Lake, by Michigan DNR stocking records.