Lakes around the Petoskey, Charlevoix, Indian River, Boyne City area are plentiful. Each offering a unique day of family fun, cruising, or fishing. A considerable amount of time has been spent across these lakes for me personally. I will give a rating 1-10 to each lake based on a few key points that can make or break your day: typically how busy, activity capabilities, Overall size, and water conditions among other things.

Crooked Lake is one of the busiest "small" lakes, for good reason. Its pretty standard as far as scenery, with a mix of residential and natural shoreline, and gets ~65' at its' deepest. It boasts a nice sized sandbar that even on a busy day, still has space to enjoy. The sandbar is actually quite clean, sandy, solid bottom, with no dangerous rocks etc. It rests Just off the northern most point of Oden Island, Which seemingly divides the lake into two. The western half of the lake is usually a little crowded with skiers, wakeboarders, and tubing. The western most and southern most arms of the lake are decent for fishing thanks to tributaries, streams, and weedbeds. The eastern side of the lake is rather shallow in most spots and has some natural shorelines on the North side. On the Eastern side you will also find 2 "channels" 1. Leads to pickerel lake in a few minutes, the halfway mark is home to "The Black Hole" a somewhat private feeling deep water pocket that encourages people to anchor down and take a swim. 2. The second channel farther northeast on the shoreline Is the beginning to the "Chain of lakes". You will pass through a lock system (that you pay for passage) and begin a ~10 mile trip to Burt Lake. Both channels are kayak friendly but will also fit 30'+ boats.

• Overall rating 6/10 - Nice Sand bar, decent fishing, access to other lakes via channels/ Gets crowded, Gets choppy often, usually feels quite crowded.
• Boat launch - The main boat launch is right on 131 just north of Conway, Porti potti, Nice parking lot, Fills up quick on busy days.
• Tube,ski,wake friendly, but can get crowded with other watersports traffic
• 2300 Acres
• Fish: black crappie, bluegill, brown bullhead, brown trout, green sunfish, lake trout, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed sunfish, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow bullhead, yellow perch,

This is one of my favorites depending on my mood. Excellent lake to kayak. Pretty small overall but usually not crowded (probably because of its size). The northwestern corner is all nature preserve, shallow 5-7ft, with the deepest spot of the lake running near 15'. Surprisingly with the depth most of the lake is extremely comfortable to boat on. The southern most point of the lake is a Loon Preserve, you can enter the area on kayaks, but boats are required to remain a safe distance away. Going east a few house line the shore until you reach another nature preserve shoreline, including a small sandy area not big enough to call a beach, but big enough to anchor and enjoy some privacy. The bottom on the eastern side is sandy and clear, somewhat firm, and usually empty from traffic. The whole lake is pretty easy to navigate with boats up to 20'. Much bigger than that and you will feel like your on a nascar loop constantly turning left.

• Overall rating 8/10 - Quiet, Mostly nature preserve, low traffic/ Small, not good for large boats (20ft +)
• Boat Launch is on Powell Rd. 1 mile from m119, Outhouse, gravel.
• can ski/tube/wake with very little traffic.
• 353 Acres
• bluegill, largemouth bass, pike, perch (There is NO WALLEYE on this lake)

Little Traverse Bay holds a very special place for my family and I. Its not for the faint of heart, but usually remains calm and can be glass like from early morning until 11am. By then, unless the weather is very favorable, you don't want to be out on a pontoon or a small boat unless you're familiar and comfortable in wavy conditions. The bay gives you endless opportunities: Hopping from town to town, going to the beach, heading out for an island, or leaving Michigan all together. I'm not going to dive deep into features and details. This is a lake if you're fortunate enough to be on, exploring in a self guided manor is 99% of the fun!

• Overall rating 8/10 - Endless possibilities, has everything, never feels busy/ Big water, not suitable for small crafts most days

Mullett Lake is huge! I personally haven't explored everything this lake has to offer, Mostly due to the fact; If your comfortable boating on Mullett, Little Traverse Bay is nicer and has way more amenities. Mullett does have some decent beaches on the southwestern shore, and on both western and eastern shorelines as you travel near the northern most half. It has an impressive max depth of 120'. You can exit Mullett via channels, head to the farthest north point to navigate to Cheboygan, or the southern most to work towards Burt lake. Mullet is not very wind protected, so it can get choppy and aggressive easily. It is also a little bit of a trip when considering all other options.

• Overall rating 6/10 - Good fishing, Very Large, Beaches, restaurants, etc / Gets choppy easily, other better options, out of the way for most.
• Boat launch - The most commonly used launch (coming from petoskey) is located off of Nabanois Trail, in Indian River. This launches you into "the channel" head West for Burt & East for Mullett Lake.
• Plenty of space to ski/wake/tube
• 17,360 Acres
• bluegill, brown bullhead, brown trout, cisco, lake sturgeon, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed sunfish, rainbow trout, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white crappie, yellow bullhead, yellow perch

Burt lake is Always busy, but never feels crowded. This lake sits in a sweet spot for a lot of boaters. Plenty of size and a 73' Depth, but a lot of nice wind protected shoreline. So, although it can get choppy to a point (and regularly does due to the overall size), you can escape closer to a shoreline for less harsh conditions. It seems like every time we get on Burt there is some chop. If you have a comfortable boat in the 22'+ range, the waves here are rarely an issue for most. The southeastern corner allows you to navigate to Mullett Lake, while the Western most shoreline (about mid height on a map) allows you to navigate through "the Locks" and into Crooked Lake. The lake also features a popular sand bar just north of the channel inlet, on the western most shoreline ( just south of the Maple Bay boat launch).

• Overall resting 7/10 - Nice Sandbar, never crowded, small craft friendly, can navigate to other lakes / Often choppy, Mostly residential, no amenities (gas,food,etc}.
• Most common boat launch is at the end of Maple Bay Rd. in Brutus. Nice double launch large parking lot, Can get crowded.
• Easily tube/ski/wake.
• 17,120 Acres
• Fish: black crappie, black bullhead, bluegill, brown bullhead, brown trout, channel catfish, green sunfish, lake sturgeon, largemouth bass, muskellunge, northern pike, pumpkinseed sunfish, rainbow trout, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, white crappie, yellow bullhead, yellow perch.

Although I personally don't spend much time on lake Charlevoix, It is probably my highest ranked lake! If my family didn't have access to Little Traverse Bay, we would boat on Lake Charlevoix constantly. It is the perfect size and layout to accommodate any size boat. Great fishing, and great restaurants are both available. Plus it boasts a layout that provides a crazy amount of shoreline and opportunity to explore, without large waves like wide open lakes such as Mullett or Burt. The lake registers 122' depth. To add to the fishing claim; Many uniquely shaped drop-offs provide great habitats for anglers to explore. So, you have all this, and access to Lake Michigan, what more could you ask for?

• Overall rank 10/10 - Great fishing, plenty of space, never crowded, access to the big water, great amenities.
• Most common boat launch from Petoskey: Either N. Lake st. Boyne city right near downtown, or Charlevoix Marina boat launch right downtown.
• Easily Tube/ski/wake
• 17,200 Acres
• Fish: black crappie, bluegill, brown trout, channel catfish, cisco, lake whitefish, lake trout, northern pike, pumpkinseed sunfish, rainbow trout, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow perch.

Such a gorgeous lake it is. The shoreline is riddled with beautiful homes and cottages. Pull up at the marina dock and explore Walloon Lake village, and grab a bite to eat. You can also enjoy a small beach on the Southeastern most shoreline, just near the village. Walloon comes in at 98' depth. Sounds perfect? for an evening cruise or some walleye fishing, yes. For just about anything else, I couldn't recommend it. Don't get me wrong, you can do just about everything on this lake. But, it is densely packed with residential boaters, and quite popular in the area. Pair this with a small-ish footprint and a layout that pinches the lake into narrow long stretches, it gets crowded. No more then any other mid sized lake, but in my opinion the layout is uninviting if you want space, privacy, or quiet. You can absolutely wake/ski here, just be mindful of all the other boaters. I will say the lake does have a great Sandbar! but too much traffic, and not enough space makes me choose other water.

• Overall rating 6/10 - Residential scenery, Sandbar, amenities / Crowded
• Boat launch - There's a few but the 2 most common are: "Jones Landing" at the end of W Guler Rd. Petoskey. Or the Walloon Village launch. Both have ample parking, and nice launches.
• Tub/ski/wake can be challenging on busy days
• 4270 Acres
• Fish: bluegill, brown trout, lake trout, northern pike, rainbow trout, rock bass, smallmouth bass, walleye, yellow perch.

Simply put; a water elevator. This is located between Crooked & Burt Lake, just south of the town Alanson. If memory serves me right it is ~$10 for a day passes ( meaning you can travel through and return without paying again). or something like ~$40 for an annual pass. If you've never been here and plan to visit, simply pull up along the wall near the lock and sound your horn. Depending on traffic, or if the lock currently has boats in it, you may wait a minute or two. A large barrier opens and you'll be guided to enter. Once all boats are inside, the barrier behind you closes, and the barrier in front of you then opens. You will notice your boat rising or lowering during that time. Once the "exit" barrier is fully open you'll be prompted to exit slowly and continue on you're journey!

I personally avoid this on holiday weekends, the July 4th weekend specifically. There can be 40 plus boats in line, and the lock takes about 10 minutes to let a 4 boat group north, and a 4 boat group south though. Meaning on extremely busy days you could be waiting almost 1hr 30min plus. But on a typical hot Saturday its closer to 30 minutes or less depending on your luck.