Mackinac Island downtown and harbor along Lake Huron.

The Great Lakes · 03

Lake Huron

Island passages, clear water and storied Georgian Bay.

Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0

Mackinac Island July 2010 02 (downtown from harbor).JPG by Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Follow the water

About Lake Huron

Huron stretches from the limestone of the Bruce Peninsula to Michigan's Thumb, with Georgian Bay's granite islands, clear Caribbean-blue coves at Tobermory and car-free Mackinac Island at its northwest corner. It is the lake of ferries, islands and shipwrecks preserved in cold, clear water.

Surface area23,000 sq mi
Deepest point750 ft
Shoreline3,827 mi
Average depth195 ft
Shoreline states & provinces Michigan Ontario

U.S. EPA reference measurements; rounded, not current water levels.

Live · Lake Huron

What's going on right now.

Weather, alerts, the water, the sky and local headlines, gathered from official sources as you read.

Gathering the latest conditions…

National Weather Service Environment Canada NOAA buoy observations Aurora forecast

Live data from the U.S. National Weather Service, Environment and Climate Change Canada, NOAA's National Data Buoy Center and Space Weather Prediction Center; headlines link to the publishers. Sun and moon times are calculated. Conditions change quickly—check official forecasts before going on the water. Not for navigation.

Signature experiences

Thirty thousand islands and the longest shoreline of the five.

Car-free Mackinac Island

Ferries, bicycles and horse-drawn carriages set the pace on this historic island.

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The Grotto and Bruce Trail

Turquoise water, limestone caves and cliff-top trails at the tip of the Bruce Peninsula.

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Glass-bottom boats at Tobermory

Fathom Five's shallow wrecks and Flowerpot Island are the classic Tobermory day.

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Shipwreck Alley

Alpena's sanctuary centre and tour boats bring Huron's preserved wrecks to the surface.

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Pinery's dunes and sunsets

Oak savanna, dunes and a long sand beach on Huron's southeast shore.

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Michigan's oldest lighthouse

Fort Gratiot guards the mouth of the St. Clair River at Port Huron.

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When to go

The best time to visit Lake Huron.

July and August are best for swimming in Georgian Bay coves and on the sandy southeast shore. September brings quieter trails on the Bruce. The Chi-Cheemaun ferry and Mackinac Island services run seasonally, with reduced schedules in shoulder months.

Know the water

Cliff edges and wave-washed rock at the Grotto and along the Bruce are dangerous in rough water. In peak season, Parks Canada requires advance parking reservations at the most popular Bruce Peninsula trailheads — check before you go.

Water safety & official forecasts

Get your bearings

Around the lake.

Loading the map. The links and itinerary below are always available.

Towns Lighthouses Parks Grouped pins expand when selected.

5 of 14 places mapped. 9 remain in the list without a map pin. Unverified locations and precise shipwreck sites are not plotted. Pins are representative locations, not verified entrances.

Black-and-white basemap by OpenStreetMap. Great Lakes highlighted in color. Hold Ctrl (or Command) while scrolling to zoom. Use two fingers on touch screens.

Lake outlines: Natural Earth (public domain). Town centers: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Not for navigation.

Along the shore

Lake Huron towns, lighthouses & beaches.

All places
Coastal town Michigan · Lake Huron Alpena Thunder Bay's waterfront city and a gateway to Great Lakes shipwreck history. Explore place
Photo: Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States · CC BY 2.0

Alpena City Hall (53882685763) (cropped).jpg by Chris Rycroft from Madison, Wisconsin, United States · CC BY 2.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

National Park Ontario · Lake Huron Bruce Peninsula National Park Niagara Escarpment cliffs and Georgian Bay's blue water near Tobermory. Explore place
Photo: The Cosmonaut · CC BY-SA 2.5 ca

Indian Head Cove cliffs1.jpg by The Cosmonaut · CC BY-SA 2.5 ca. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Shipwreck story Michigan · Lake Huron Cornelia B. Windiate A grain schooner whose loss illustrates the hazards of late-season lake travel. Explore place
Photo: NOAA / Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary · Public domain

Ship's wheel of Cornelia B. Windiate by NOAA / Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Lighthouse Michigan · Lake Huron Fort Gratiot Light Station A Port Huron beacon near the outlet of Lake Huron. Explore place
Photo: Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0

Fort Gratiot Lighthouse Park 2025e.jpg by Antony-22 · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Ontario · Lake Huron Goderich An Ontario harbor town with a distinctive town square and sunset-facing coast. Explore place
Photo: Whpq · CC BY-SA 3.0

GoderichBeachView.jpg by Whpq · CC BY-SA 3.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Shipwreck story Michigan · Lake Huron Ironton A schooner barge lost in a Lake Huron collision and later documented by sanctuary researchers. Explore place
Photo: NOAA · Public domain

Ironton wreck.jpg by NOAA · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Michigan · Lake Huron Mackinac Island A car-free island where Lake Huron meets the Straits of Mackinac. Explore place
Photo: Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0

Mackinac Island July 2010 02 (downtown from harbor).JPG by Michael Barera · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Shipwreck story Michigan · Lake Huron Monohansett A steamer whose remains form part of Thunder Bay's protected maritime collection. Explore place
Photo: NOAA / Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary · Public domain

Stern and propeller of Monohansett by NOAA / Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Shipwreck story Michigan · Lake Huron Nordmeer A twentieth-century freighter in a sanctuary collection spanning generations of ship design. Explore place
Photo: National Marine Sanctuaries · Public domain

TBNMS - Nordmeer (27699704940).jpg by National Marine Sanctuaries · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Shipwreck story Michigan · Lake Huron Ohio The grain-carrying freighter involved in the same collision that sank Ironton. Explore place
Photo: Michigan Technological University / NOAA · Public domain

SS Ohio sonar image by Michigan Technological University / NOAA · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Shipwreck story Michigan · Lake Huron Pewabic A Thunder Bay steamer lost in a collision during the Great Lakes shipping era. Explore place
Photo: J.E. Keast · Public domain

Pewabic.jpg by J.E. Keast · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Provincial Park Ontario · Lake Huron Pinery Provincial Park Lake Huron beach country with oak savanna and a river-channel landscape. Explore place
Photo: Ymblanter · CC BY-SA 4.0

Dunes Beach Pinery Provincial Park.jpg by Ymblanter · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Michigan · Lake Huron Port Austin A small harbor at the tip of Michigan's Thumb. Explore place
Photo: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown · Public domain

Port Austin Michigan aerial view.jpg by U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, photographer not specified or unknown · Public domain. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Coastal town Ontario · Lake Huron Tobermory Bruce Peninsula harbor life between Georgian Bay and Lake Huron. Explore place
Photo: Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0

20150704 - 010 - Tobermory, Ont. - The "Tobermory Frontier" at Big Tub Harbor (panorama).jpg by Andre Carrotflower · CC BY-SA 4.0. Resized and converted to WebP; display crops vary.

Did you know

A few things worth knowing.

Including its islands, Huron has the longest shoreline of any Great Lake — 3,827 miles.

Manitoulin Island is the largest island in any freshwater lake in the world.

Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary near Alpena protects a nationally significant collection of shipwrecks in cold, clear water.

Huron also has the largest drainage basin of the five lakes, about 51,700 square miles.

Start a route with road trips on Lake Huron, or compare it with the other four lakes.