5 Largest lakes on the Pinckney chain of lakes

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Real Estate Agent with Real Estate One 6501304423

Have you narrowed now your search to the Portage Chain of Lakes? This chain has many different names it just depends on who you talk to.  Sometimes it is called the Huron River chain of lakes, the Portage chain of lakes, the Hamburg chain of lakes, the Pinckney chain of lakes.  If you love water and if you would get bored living on a small lake then the Pinckney chain of lakes probably is a good choice.  Every day you can go to a different part of the chain to fish.  You can tube on Portage Lake, or Strawberry Lake, or Portage Lake. These five lakes are all sports lakes. Only on Zukey Lake would you most likely not doing any water sports on because it is shallow, and has sand bars to navigate around.  Ore Lake is the first lake on the Pinckney chain of lakes.  You cannot get to Ore Lake from the rest of the chain with a bigger boat.  Only kayaks and canoes can access the lake from the other 8 lakes. Here are the four lakes on the Pinckney chain we will be talking about. I have put the in order of size below.

Big Portage Lake Pinckney Chain of Lakes

Big Portage Lake Pinckney Chain of Lakes Mi

Big Portage is a public all sports lake that is about 664 acres in size.  The DNR boat launch is located off McGregor Road on the east side of the lake.  It has about 21 parking spots for the public.  There is no public beach, no water ski course on the lake.   There are no wake restrictions that I know of The deepest point on the lake is about 84 feet deep though they say the average depth is only five feet deep.  There are some shallow sandbar areas on the lake.  The lake is mainly fed by the Huron River though there are two streams that come into the lake from the north.  They are Honey Creek and Portage Creek.  There are canals on the lake but I do not know of any islands on the lake.  The school district for the lake is either Dexter schools, Pinckney school system depending on where they live on the lake.  The streets around the lake are either paved, gravel.  >Portage Lake is the biggest lake on the Hamburg chain of lakes .  The chain of Lakes is called several names including the Huron River chain of lakes or the Portage Chain of Lakes.  It is a public lake, you can get on the lake via a State of Michigan DNR Boat Launch that is located off McGregor Road on the east side of the road.  Lake level was erratic prior to 1960.  Spring flooding on Portage Lake was frequent. Often lakefront residents would row or paddle right up to their cottages at lake level; septic systems didn’t respond well either. After several dry years in the early 60s, lake levels were extremely low, and by 1963, boats and docks were suddenly left high and dry. This was the impetus that led to constructing the dam.  The eight main lakes on the chain can be accessed by most boats, with only Ore Lake accessible only by small boat. Some areas on the chain and river cannot be accessed by pontoon due to low under-road clearances or narrow passages. The lakes in the chain include Big Portage Lake, Base Line LakeWhitewood LakeZukey LakeTamarack LakeGallagher LakeStrawberry Lake and Ore Lake

Strawberry Lake Pinckney Chain of Lakes

Strawberry Lake Pinckney chain of Lakes MI

Strawberry Lake in Hamburg is a public all sports lake that is about 257 acres in size.  It is a kettle lake that was formed by glaciers thousands of years ago.  It is about 50 feet deep in the deepest spot.  There is no public access on the lake itself but the Huron River chain of lakes is all public because there is a DNR Launch off McGregor Road on Big Portage Lake. There are no wake restrictions or laws on when you can go fast on the lake.  Though some of the river channels between the lakes are no wake.  The lake is fed by springs and the Huron River that flows through it.  The children that live on the lake go to Pinckney School System.  The streets around the lake are both paved and gravel.  There is no public beach on the lake, there are no canals, (thus no canal front homes) and I do not believe that there is a state approved ski course on the lake.

Base Line Lake Pinckney Chain of Lakes

Baseline Lake Pinckney chain of lakes

Baseline Lake on the chain of lakes is a public all sports lake that is 254 acres in size.  It is a public lake like all the lakes on the Huron River chain of lakes because there is a DNR public launch on Portage Lake.  If you can get on Portage Lake you can boat to Base Line Lake.  There are no wake restrictions on the lake.  There are some no wake zones on the river between the lakes. There is no public beach, no marina on the lake, and no state approved water ski course on the lake that I know of.  Depending on where you live on the lake your children will go to Dexter or Pinckney.  The streets around the lake are either paved or gravel. Base Line Lake is part of the Hamburg chain of Lakes or as some people call it the Portage Chain of Lakes.  It is the last lake right before Portage Lake.  There is one sunken island on the lake where it gets about 5′ deep.  Baseline Lake is a big round lake.  There are a couple of deep holes on Base Line Lake of 64′ and 54′.  University of Michigan has a sail club on the lake at 8010 Strawberry Lake Rd for students. 

The lake is fed by the Huron River from the north (Whitewood Lake is to the north).  What is great about the chain of lakes it that it is a boater’s paradise no matter what you do with a boat.  For a pontoon person you could take a whole day exploring the shoreline and looking at all the home with your guests.  For water skiers, jet skiers, and wakeboarders there is Portage Lake, Baseline Lake, or Strawberry Lake with lots of room and lots of width to enjoy those activities. Fisherman have lots of drop off’s, and weed beds to fish on the many different lakes on the whole Portage chain of lakes.  Kids on the lake either go to Pinckney or Dexter schools depending on where they live on the lake. 

Ore Lake Pinckney Chain of Lakes

Ore Lake Pinckney Chain of Lakes MI

Ore Lake is a private all sports lake that is about 192 acres.  The lake is 89 feet deep at the deepest point.  Ore Lake is part of a chain of lakes, although you cannot drive big boats to the other lakes.  It is connected via the Huron River but there is a low bridge under M-36 that you can't get a big boat under.   You can only get a small kayak or canoe or small boats through to Ore Lake.  You can get from the Huron River on the other side of the bridge to Strawberry Lake.  Ore Lake's water source is the Huron River, springs, and a couple of streams. There is no public DNR launch on Ore Lake.  There is no public beach or marina on the lake.  The children on the lake go to Brighton Schools.  The streets around the lake are gravel.  There is no state approved ski course on the lake that I know of.  There are no wake restrictions on the lake.  There are no canals on the lake except for the canal going to the Huron River. My guess is that on the weekend there is heavy boat traffic on the lake.  But there is always smooth water on any Southeastern Michigan Lake is you are up early enough ( before 10 or wait until dinner time).

Zukey Lake Pinckney Chain of Lakes

Zukey Lake Pinckney chain of lakes mi

Zukey Lake is a public all sports lake that is about 155 acres in size.  The deepest part of the lake is 35 feet deep.  Most of the lake is very shallow.  You will see some very long docks because the shoreline is shallow.  There is no water ski course on the lake. The lakes water source is the Huron River that flows from Ore Lake to the north.  The children on the lake go to Pinckney Schools. The streets around the lake are paved. All the waterfront homes are on sewers which helps the water quality of the lake.  You do not have sewage leaking into the lake from old or faulty septic systems.  There are canals off the lake.  There is no public beach on the lake though there are a few neighborhood association out lots on the lake. There is no public access on the lake but you can get on the Huron River Chain of Lakes at the opposite end of the Chain.  There is a DNR boat launch off McGregor Road on Big Portage Lake.   There are no wake restrictions on the lake.  Because the lake is shallow and has sandbars it is a hang out area for boaters.

Pinckney home buyer program

I hope this helps you understand the Pinckney Chain of Lakes and the five biggest lakes on the chain.  Living on the chain is a great way of life.  It is like being on vacation everyday.  Call me today I can help you find the best deals on lake homes.  Plus you get a great home buyer bonus just for closing on your lake home.  I will save you time and energy on your next move.

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Comments (1)

Endre Barath, Jr.
Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices California Properties - Beverly Hills, CA
Realtor - Los Angeles Home Sales 310.486.1002

Many choices for lake front properties Russ which ones do you  recommend?:)Endre

Jan 07, 2022 10:57 PM