Lime Lake (Michigan) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Lime Lake |
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 Lime Lake
Location in Michigan
Lime Lake
Location in the United States
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| Location | Leelanau County, Michigan |
| Coordinates | 44°53′38″N 85°50′29″W / 44.8937503°N 85.8412967°W |
| Primary inflows | Lime Creek |
| Primary outflows | Shetland Creek |
| Basin countries | United States |
| Max. length | 1.6 mi (2.6 km) |
| Max. width | 1.1 mi (1.8 km) |
| Surface area | 670 acres (2.7 km2) |
| Max. depth | 65 ft (20 m) |
| Surface elevation | 614 feet (187 m) |
| Settlements | Maple City, Cedar |
Lime Lake is a beautiful freshwater lake in Leelanau County, Michigan. You can find it about two miles north of Maple City, Michigan. This lake is surrounded by lovely wooded hills. It's also close to Lake Michigan and the famous Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. A scenic road called M-22 passes by the north side of the lake.
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About Lime Lake
Lime Lake is about 1.6 miles long from north to south. It is 1.1 miles wide from east to west. The deepest part of the lake is about 65 feet. Overall, the lake covers an area of 670 acres.
Water Flow and Connections
Lime Lake is part of the Good Harbor Bay watershed. This means all the water in the area eventually flows towards Good Harbor Bay. Many small creeks and springs feed into Lime Lake. The main water source is Lime Creek, which flows into the southwest corner.
Water flows out of Lime Lake through Shetland Creek. This creek goes into Little Traverse Lake. From Little Traverse Lake, Shalda Creek carries the water into Good Harbor Bay on Lake Michigan.
Amazing Fish Life
Sometimes, fish from Lake Michigan can swim all the way into Lime Lake. This happens when there are no natural blockages like beaver dams. For example, Chinook salmon have been seen spawning in Lime Creek.
Lime Lake has many different kinds of fish. It's a very healthy place for them! You can find fish like brown trout, largemouth bass, northern pike, and smallmouth bass here.
Surrounding Nature
The areas at the north and south ends of Lime Lake are lowland swamps. These swamps are full of cedar, hemlock, and birch trees. The rolling hills on the east and west sides have different kinds of trees. These include upland hardwoods and conifers.
The Teichner Preserve is a special place on the northeast shore. It's a 41-acre piece of land given to the Leelanau Conservancy in 1996. Anyone can visit this preserve. It has a trail and a boardwalk that lead through wetlands and forests to the lake.
The Lime Lake Association helps property owners around the lake. They work to protect and care for the lake.
Lime Lake's Past: Lumber Era
In the late 1800s, the lumber industry was very important here. The Lime Lake Lumber Company built a mill around 1880. Trees cut from the nearby forests were brought to this mill. After being cut, the wood was hauled three miles down a plank road. This road led to Good Harbor Bay, where the wood was shipped out. If you look closely at the shallow bottom of the lake's northeast corner, you can still see old pieces of wood from the mill.
How Lime Lake Was Formed
Lime Lake is a glacial lake. This means it was created by natural forces from glaciers.
About 11,000 years ago, a giant ice sheet called the Laurentian Glacier melted away. When the heavy ice was gone, the earth's crust in this northern area slowly began to rise. Over time, the shoreline of a huge ancient lake, called Lake Algonquin, changed. Long peninsulas and bays became separated from the main lake. This formed new, smaller lakes.
Lime Lake, along with nearby Bass and School lakes, were formed early on. They were closed off during the Lake Algonquin stage, about 7,000 years ago. These lakes are all about 620 feet above sea level. Later, during the Lake Nipissing stage (about 6,000 to 4,000 years ago), a curved belt of sand dunes formed. These dunes closed off Little Traverse Lake.
