Largest lakes & reservoirs in Southwest Michigan by shoreline length
The length of the exterior shoreline around a lake is measured at the lake’s normal elevation. The shoreline length can be considerably shorter or longer when lake water levels are lower or higher than normal. A lake with many coves has a much longer shoreline than a lake of similar surface area that is nearly circular in shape.When known, the shoreline miles that we report in our statistics include only the lake’s exterior shoreline, and exclude the shorelines of islands located within a lake’s boundaries. In lakes with many islands, those islands’ combined shorelines may exceed a lake’s exterior shoreline.
You can find many of the world’s longest-shoreline lakes on LakeLubbers. Note: For some lakes, "Longest Shorelines" data is unknown or does not apply, so this table may display fewer lakes than the total 18 articles we have published for Southwest Michigan lakes.
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Below are lakes within USA > US Midwest Region > Michigan > Southwest Michigan > Compared by longest shoreline length in miles. This list does not represent all lakes in Southwest Michigan, only the 18 Southwest Michigan lake articles we have published on the LakeLubbers website.
Lake name  |
Shoreline length in miles |
Lake description |
|---|---|---|
| Lake Michigan-Huron (Canada, Chicagoland Region, IL, Great Lakes of North America, Illinois, Indiana, Lake Michigan Region, WI, Michigan, North Indiana, Northeast Michigan, Northwest Michigan, Ontario, Canada, Southwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA, Upper Peninsula Region, MI, West Central Michigan, Wisconsin) |
5,463 mi | Lake Michigan and Lake Huron – two of North America’s Great Lakes – are contiguous and they share the same elevation of 577 feet above sea level. They… |
| Lake Michigan (Chicagoland Region, IL, Great Lakes of North America, Illinois, Indiana, Lake Michigan Region, WI, Michigan, North Indiana, Northwest Michigan, Southwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA, Upper Peninsula Region, MI, West Central Michigan, Wisconsin) |
1,638 mi | As the only Great Lake nestled completely within the boundaries of the United States, Lake Michigan is the pride and joy of Wisconsin, Illinois, India… |
| Gull Lake, MI (Michigan, Southwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
19 mi | Gull Lake is a picturesque 2,030-acre natural lake in southwestern Michigan. The lake most likely got its name from the large number of seagulls that… |
| Gun Lake, MI (Michigan, Southwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
18 mi | Beautiful Gun Lake, located off US 131 north of Kalamazoo, Michigan, has been a vacation and boating destination for well over a hundred years. Origin… |
| Lake Macatawa, MI (Michigan, Southwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
14 mi | Also known as Black Lake The Ottawa tribe of Native Americans called Lake Macatawa “Ma-Ca-Ta-Wa” or Black Lake. The water, like many lakes in northern states, was dark from ta… |
| Coldwater Lake MI (Michigan, Southwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
12 mi | Coldwater Lake, in quiet Southwest Michigan, is the epitome of the traditional Michigan lake vacation destination. Nestled just north of the Indiana s… |
| Pine Lake, MI (Michigan, Southwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
11 mi | Located in rural Barry County, Michigan, Pine Lake is actually four lakes connected by small navigable channels. With Kalamazoo a short 30-mile drive… |
| Paw Paw Lake, MI (Michigan, Southwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
9 mi | Paw Paw Lake. Just the name invokes lazy, hot summer days in a secluded country setting. Situated in Southwest Michigan, 891-acre Paw Paw Lake is a co… |
| Magician Lake, MI (Michigan, Southwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
6 mi | Also known as Silver lake Magician Lake. . .the name holds an air of mystery. One envisions foggy evenings and a haunted island. But in truth, the only mystery about Magician L… |
| Wall Lake, MI (Michigan, Southwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
5 mi | One of 300 lakes found among the rolling grasslands and open fields of Michigan’s Southwest tourism region, Wall Lake is a private residential lake. L… |
| Klinger Lake, MI (Michigan, Southwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
5 mi | Klinger Lake in Saint Joseph County has been a top recreation and fishing spot in western lower Michigan for well over 150 years. Located less than th… |
| Leach Lake (Michigan, Southwest Michigan, US Midwest Region, USA) |
2 mi | A hidden treasure awaits at Leach Lake. This small lake lies in the Southwest Region of Michigan and is often overshadowed by larger, more well-known… |