Erie is the most southerly, shallow, and biologically diverse of all of the Great Lakes. Its shallow depth makes it the warmest Great Lake and a favourite destination for summer recreationists and migrating birds.
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Lake Erie is the shallowest, warmest, and most productive of the Great Lakes. Three distinct basins provide a variety of offshore habitats. The Detroit River, Maumee River, and smaller tributaries drain into the western basin, which averages 24 feet deep and contains extremely nutrient-rich water.
Erie is the most southerly, shallow, and biologically diverse of all of the Great Lakes. Its shallow depth makes it the warmest Great Lake and a favourite destination for summer recreationists and migrating birds.
By August and September, average temperatures for Lake Michigan and Huron will be in the upper 60s to low 70s. Lake Erie and Ontario average the mid to upper 70s by late summer, because of their shallowness.
The clean, clear waters of Lake Superior are beautiful and inviting, though the water is typically cold even for the hardiest swimmers. Shoreline water temperatures in summer usually range from the upper 50s to the upper 60s. Some years it can reach 70 degrees by mid-August in Munising Bay.
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.
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!
Lake Superior is the Cleanest and Clearest Great LakeBecause of its somewhat isolated location and long cold winters, not much farming is done along Superior's shores. This means lower amounts of nutrients, sediments, and organic material are floating around the lake.
Compared to the other Great Lakes, Lake Michigan is considered to be the deadliest of them all. Here's why. Sadly, many of the Great Lakes aren't considered to be particularly safe to swim in, due to high pollution levels and strong currents.
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.
A north-northeast wind has pushed the warmer surface water along the Michigan shore back toward the middle of Lake Michigan and brought up colder water from well beneath the surface. This process is called upwelling.
Lake Michigan is a treasured natural resource that provides Chicago families with water recreation activities such as beach days, swimming, boating and sailing.
Those who brave the frigid feat and swim in the winter are nicknamed “ice monsters.” Lake Michigan continuously cools throughout winter, and with March averaging an annual low of 32.9 degrees, it's the chilliest month for open-water swimming.
1988: Vicki Keith swims the Great LakesVicki Keith's swam Lake Michigan, and was the first person to swim all of the Great Lakes. Some consider her one of the most successful marathon swimmers in the history of the sport with 16 world records.
P.H. Hoeft State Park. Located along a sandy stretch of Lake Huron Beach, P.H. Hoeft State Park features some of Lake Huron's only sand dunes. The crystal-clear Lake Huron water is perfect for swimming and splashing, and there's a children's playground, too.
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.
The first recorded swimmer to cross Lake Erie was Pennsylvania teenager Pat Budney in 1975. He swam from Long Point to Presque Isle in Pennsylvania, a distance of 26 miles that took him 26 ½ hours. The state park beach where he finished now bears his name.