Burt Lake

Burt Lake is one of the largest inland lakes in Michigan, a broad, clear lake of roughly 17,000 acres in Cheboygan County at the heart of the famous Inland Waterway — the chain of lakes and rivers that lets boaters travel some 40 miles across the northern Lower Peninsula between Crooked Lake and Lake Huron.

Clean and relatively shallow around its edges yet deep in its main basin, Burt Lake is a renowned fishery for walleye, smallmouth bass, perch and pike, and a popular summer lake for boating, sailing and swimming. Burt Lake State Park on the south shore offers a sandy beach, campground and boat access, while the village of Indian River connects the lake to neighboring Mullett Lake via the Inland Waterway. With its size, fishing and easy access, Burt Lake is a beloved northern-Michigan destination.

Summer is peak, with warm shallows for swimming, steady winds for sailing and excellent fishing — reserve state-park campsites early. Late spring and fall offer great fishing with fewer crowds. Fall adds color to the surrounding country, and winter draws ice anglers to the lake. The lake’s size and clean water make it lively in summer and rewarding across the seasons.

Loons, bald eagles, ospreys, herons and waterfowl frequent the lake and its marshy bays and river connections, while the surrounding forests hold white-tailed deer and a varied songbird community. The clean, productive water supports a strong fishery and its food web. The Inland Waterway’s rivers and wetlands add rich habitat, making the area excellent for wildlife watching from a boat or the shore.

Burt Lake is a celebrated fishery, particularly for walleye, smallmouth bass, yellow perch and northern pike, with panfish and the occasional muskellunge as well. Its clean water, weed edges, reefs and drop-offs provide excellent structure, and the lake fishes well in both open water and through the ice. Walleye and smallmouth draw anglers from across the region. Follow current Michigan DNR seasons, limits and regulations before fishing.

Burt Lake is large and can build dangerous waves quickly in wind across its open expanse — boaters should watch the weather, wear life jackets and carry safety gear. The water is cold below the surface even in summer; supervise swimmers in the shallows. In winter, check ice conditions carefully. Watch for boat traffic on the busy Inland Waterway connections near Indian River.

Burt Lake is a fine all-around recreation lake — boating, sailing, swimming, paddling and especially fishing across its broad, clean waters. As part of the Inland Waterway, it draws boaters making the long water-trail journey between Crooked Lake and Lake Huron. Burt Lake State Park provides a sandy swimming beach, campground and launch, and the surrounding area offers hiking, biking and the river connections of the waterway to explore.

Burt Lake takes its name from a 19th-century state surveyor, and its shores have a long history of Native American settlement, including the Burt Lake Band of Ottawa and Chippewa. The Inland Waterway was historically a vital travel route, used for centuries before becoming a recreational boating trail. Resort and cottage life grew up around the lake through the 20th century, and Burt Lake State Park opened public access to its shore.

Burt Lake fills a broad basin shaped by the glaciers of the last Ice Age, part of the chain of glacially carved lakes and rivers that form the Inland Waterway across the northern Lower Peninsula. The surrounding sandy, forested terrain and the interconnected lakes and streams all reflect this glacial heritage, which left the region dotted with the clean, fishable lakes for which it is known.

Burt Lake is a large, clean, moderately deep northern lake whose quality is tied to the health of the Inland Waterway it anchors. Its mix of weedy shallows and deeper water supports a diverse, productive fishery, but the connected waterway also makes it vulnerable to the spread of aquatic invasive species. Clean-drain-dry practices and watershed protection are essential to keeping the lake and the whole waterway healthy.

As one of the largest lakes in the Lower Peninsula and the centerpiece of the Inland Waterway, Burt Lake holds a cherished place in northern-Michigan recreation. Generations of anglers and boaters have fished its waters and traveled the waterway, and the lake anchors the communities of Indian River and the surrounding Cheboygan County resort country.

Burt Lake State Park on the south shore near Indian River offers a sandy beach, campground and boat launch, and additional DNR launches and access points ring the lake. The village of Indian River, where the Inland Waterway connects Burt Lake to Mullett Lake, provides services and access. The lake is easily reached via I-75 and M-68 in Cheboygan County.

Protecting Burt Lake means protecting the whole Inland Waterway: lake associations and the DNR work to limit nutrient pollution and stop the spread of aquatic invasive species through the connected lakes and rivers. Boaters must clean, drain and dry their craft, and shoreline owners protect natural shoreline and limit runoff. The waterway’s interconnected nature makes shared stewardship essential.

Follow Michigan DNR fishing regulations, seasons and limits for walleye, bass, perch and pike. A Recreation Passport is required to enter Burt Lake State Park. Boaters must follow state boating and invasive-species laws — clean, drain and dry — and observe no-wake zones near shore and in the waterway channels. Camp only in reserved, designated sites; respect private shoreline.

Indian River and the Inland Waterway connect Burt Lake to Mullett Lake and on toward Lake Huron, with the towns of Cheboygan and the Straits of Mackinac to the north. Mullett Lake, the Pigeon River Country State Forest (home to Michigan’s elk herd), and the Mackinac region are all close, making the area a hub of northern Lower Peninsula water and forest recreation.

Fish the reefs, weed edges and drop-offs for walleye and smallmouth, in open water or through the ice. Base at Burt Lake State Park for camping and beach access. Explore the Inland Waterway by boat toward Mullett Lake and beyond. Always clean, drain and dry your craft to protect the connected waters, and pair a visit with the Pigeon River elk country and the Straits of Mackinac.