Are the Great Lakes worth visiting?

The five lakes that make up the Great Lakes are full of must-visit attractions, from Niagara Falls to picture-perfect state parks. The Great Lakes encompass exciting cities like Toronto, Chicago, and Cleveland.



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Lake Huron, the second-largest of the Great Lakes, tops the list for its pristine turquoise waters, unparalleled shoreline sunrises, numerous lakeside parks, gorgeous beaches, and historic lighthouses. French explorers proclaimed it La Mer Douce, “the freshwater sea.” What's more, Lake Huron is home to 30,000 islands!

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The autumn months of late August through September can be a great time to visit the Great Lakes for those who hope to see the trees in their complete colorful transition before dropping their leaves for the cold northern winters.

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The pollution process was exacerbated by water flowing into the lake from various industrial cities. Detroit was home to factories that dumped acids, iron and oil wastes into the river that flowed into Lake Erie at its Western end. Runoffs from Cleveland farms carried wastes into the lake from its Southern end.

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Why is Lake Erie so important? Erie is the most biologically productive and diverse of all the Great Lakes due to its warm shallow waters. Alongside this astounding biodiversity, more than 11 million people get their drinking water from the Lake Erie watershed.

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Don Olson from the DNR said that the most visited parks are along Lake Michigan, and that state parks surrounding other Great Lakes have less visitors.

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According to the analysis, Lake Superior and Lake Huron were given “good” grades for ecosystems. Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario are considered “fair,” while Lake Erie's ecosystem is considered “poor.”

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The Great Lakes are fascinating and a dream come true for swimmers. Yes, we can all swim in the Great Lakes. It's even possible to swim in all five Great Lakes in less than 24 hours!

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The most dangerous predator in the Great Lakes is the sea lamprey, which was actually introduced as an invasive species. Primarily, it goes after a sports fish called the lake trout, often wounding them as they kill them off. It is also attracted to the blood and bodily fluids of any creature.

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It's the 'forgotten' Great Lake Lake Huron is often overlooked compared with the other four Great Lakes. Superior has a reputation as the coldest, deepest and largest.

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Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake by area (31,700 mi2 /82,100 km2). It is also the coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes, with a maximum depth of 406 meters (1,332 feet). By most measures, it is the healthiest of all the Great Lakes.

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Drinking Water - State of the Great Lakes. The 2012 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement states that “the Waters of the Great Lakes should be a source of safe, high quality drinking water”. Approximately 8.5 million Canadians and 19.5 million Americans get their drinking water from the surface waters of the Great Lakes.

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Currents in Lake Erie can be dangerous! Any current flowing faster than 2 mph is considered dangerous. Dangerous currents can exceed 5 mph — faster than an Olympic swimmer can swim.

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Yes, Lake Superior is safe for swimming. Lake Superior has the lowest drowning rate among all the Great Lakes.

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Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake by area (31,700 mi2 /82,100 km2). It is also the coldest and deepest of the Great Lakes, with a maximum depth of 406 meters (1,332 feet). By most measures, it is the healthiest of all the Great Lakes.

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The 5 most beautiful beaches in the Great Lakes
  • Long Point (Lake Erie) George Hornaday (Flickr) ...
  • Bluffer's Park Beach (Lake Ontario) AlexMeoko (Flickr) ...
  • The Grotto (Lake Huron) Image Ontario. ...
  • Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (Lake Michigan) bDSC_6076 (Flickr) ...
  • Pancake Bay Beach (Lake Superior) Bryan O'Toole (Flickr)


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During the 1960s, Lake Erie was declared a “dead lake” due to eutrophication and pollution. The children's book, The Lorax, written by Dr. Seuss, actually included the following line referring to fish: “They will walk on their fins and get woefully weary in search of some water that isn't so smeary.

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Lake Erie is the second smallest Great Lake by surface area, and the smallest by volume. Because of this, the water of Lake Erie also has the shortest residence time. Water in this lake replaces itself every 2.6 years, as opposed to Lake Superior, which takes two centuries.

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The major sources of phosphorus reductions were phosphorus outputs at wastewater plant discharges; eliminating phosphorous from laundry detergent; and no-till farming practices. Because of the phosphorus reductions, our Lake became much more clear and clean.

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