Higgins Lake

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This article is about the lake in Michigan. For other uses, see Higgins Lake (disambiguation).

Higgins Lake from South State park beach

Higgins Lake is a large recreational and fishing lake in Roscommon County, in the U.S. state of Michigan. The 9,900 acre (40 km²) lake is known for its deep, clear waters and is the 10th largest in Michigan with a shoreline of 21 miles. It is named after Sylvester Higgins, Michigan's first chief of the topographical department of the Michigan Geological Survey. It has a maximum width of 4 miles and a length of 7 miles with a maximum depth of 135 feet. The mean depth is 44 feet and the lake contains almost 20 billion cubic feet (570 million cubic metres) of water. Its retention time is about 12.5 years. The lake's watershed cover 19,000 acres. The twin-lobed lake receives half of its water from submerged springs, 6% from incoming streams and the remainder from direct rainfall and runoff. It drains into Marl Lake by the Cut River which runs into Houghton Lake and eventually to Lake Michigan. A mere mile north of the lake, water flows into the Lake Huron watershed. Sportsfish in the lake include yellow perch, trout, smelt and pike and are taken both in open water and by icefishing. Higgins Lake is considered a morphometrically oligotrophic lake, meaning that its large size causes it to appear and function as a nutrient-poor lake although it does receive a fair amount of nutrients.

Higgins Lake is also the name of the post office for the area, with ZIP code 48627. This ZIP code includes several other small communities and locales along the shores of the lake, including (moving counter-clockwise around the lake) Hillcrest, Lyon Manor, Detroit Park, Cook Corner, Sharps Corner, Almeda Beach, Oak Grove, Ritz Corner, Pine Bluffs, and Cottage Grove. Since all have Higgins Lake as a postal address, they are often all considered as part of the Higgins Lake community. The lake is situated on the boundary between Lyon Township on the west and Gerrish Township on the east.

There are two state parks, South Higgins Lake State Park, with a mile of shoreline, and North Higgins Lake State Park, located, as might be expected from the names, on opposite ends of the lake. Both provide public boat launches and camping, and are very popular in the summer months. The south park is older, larger, and more developed. The north park is located on what was once the world's largest seedling nursery, a part of the CCC of the 1930s.

Beginning in the early 1990s, Higgins Lake has been at the center of a state-wide debate in Michigan regarding the use of public road ends for the sunbathing, picnicking, lounging, and the placement of hoists for mooring. Public access organization have fought for these expanded uses of road ends. Such uses are oppossed by organizations of lakefront property owners.