Lake Missaukee facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lake Missaukee |
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View from Miltner Park in Lake City
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 Lake Missaukee
Location in Michigan
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| Location | Missaukee County, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 44°19′23″N 85°14′15″W / 44.32306°N 85.23750°W |
| Type | Glacial lake |
| Primary inflows | groundwater and rainfall |
| Primary outflows | Mosquito Creek to Clam River |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Surface area | 1,880 acres (760 ha) |
| Max. depth | 27 ft (8.2 m) |
| Surface elevation | 1,237 ft (377 m) |
| Settlements | |
Lake Missaukee is a beautiful freshwater lake in Missaukee County, Michigan, USA. It's a popular spot for outdoor fun. Most of the lake is surrounded by Lake Township. The city of Lake City is right next to its eastern side. A small part of the lake also reaches north into Caldwell Township.
How Lake Missaukee Was Formed
Lake Missaukee is a special kind of lake called a glacial lake. This means it was created about 11,000 years ago. This happened at the end of the last big ice age. Huge glaciers moved across the land, carving out the space where the lake now sits.
The lake covers about 1,880 acres (760 hectares). Even though it's quite large, most of the lake is not very deep. It's usually less than 15 feet (4.6 meters) deep. Its deepest point is about 27 feet (8.2 meters). The surface of the lake is about 1,237 feet (377 meters) above sea level. You'll find it near other lakes like Crooked Lake and Sapphire Lake.
Lake Missaukee is the biggest lake in Missaukee County. It's part of the larger Muskegon River water system. The lake gets its water from groundwater and rainfall. It has a very small area that drains into it, even smaller than the lake itself. Water levels are controlled by a small stream called Mosquito Creek. This creek eventually flows into the Clam River. The Clam River then leads to the Muskegon River, which flows into Lake Michigan.
Fun Things to Do at Lake Missaukee
People first started living around Lake Missaukee in the late 1860s. Back then, cutting down trees for wood, called logging, was a big business. Logs were floated across the lake to many sawmills and factories. These old industries are gone now. However, you can still find pieces of wood from the logging days in the lake.
Lake Missaukee is easy to get to. The city of Lake City is on its eastern side. Highways M-55 and M-66 run along the eastern shore through Lake City. The larger city of Cadillac is only about 15 minutes to the west.
The lake is a great place for outdoor activities. You can go fishing, swimming, and boating here. There are many parks and beaches around the lake. You'll also find several public places to launch your boat. One of these is at the northern end of the lake, in Missaukee County Park. It is managed by the Michigan Department of Natural Resources.
Fishing
Lake Missaukee is very popular with people who love to fish. You can often catch fish like bluegill, black crappie, brown bullhead, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, northern pike, walleye, and yellow perch. Sometimes, people even see common carp. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources adds walleye to the lake regularly. They also keep an eye on how many fish are in the lake.
Lake Missaukee has many entries in the state's Master Angler program. This program recognizes very large fish caught by anglers. The biggest fish recorded from Lake Missaukee was a northern pike. It weighed 19.67 pounds (8.92 kg) and was 40 inches (100 cm) long.
Sometimes, you might find unwanted plants or animals in the lake. These are called invasive species. In Lake Missaukee, some of these include Eurasian milfoil and zebra mussels.
