} Green Lake is a

fresh water Fresh water or freshwater is any naturally occurring liquid or frozen water containing low concentrations of dissolved salts and other total dissolved solids. Although the term specifically excludes seawater and brackish water, it does include ...

lake located in northwest

Washtenaw County Washtenaw County () is a county located in the U.S. state of Michigan. At the 2020 census, the population was 372,258. The county seat is Ann Arbor. The county was authorized by legislation in 1822 and organized as a county in 1826. Washtenaw ...

in the U.S. state of

Michigan Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...

. The lake encompasses . It is located entirely within Lyndon Township about northwest of the city of

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

along M-52. The lake is located within

Waterloo State Recreation Area Waterloo State Recreation Area is the third-largest park in Michigan, encompassing over of forest, lakes and wetlands. Located in northeast Jackson County and parts of Washtenaw County, the park is the largest in the Lower Peninsula of Michiga ...

along the northeastern edge of the park's boundaries near

Pinckney State Recreation Area Pinckney State Recreation Area is a Michigan state recreation area in Dexter, Sylvan and Lyndon Townships, Washtenaw County and Putnam and Unadilla Townships, Livingston County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The park is and sits at an eleva ...

Geology

Green Lake is a shallow and marshy lake with an average depth of around and a maximum depth of in the southwestern portion. The lake sits at an elevation of above sea level. The lake has no major inflows or outflows and receives most of its water source from groundwater and rainwater. The region contains numerous small lakes and streams. Green Lake is connected by a small unnamed stream to Long Lake to the north. Other smaller lakes within the vicinity of Green Lake include Winnewana Lake to the southwest. Hankard Lake is located to the west, and Clark Lake is to the north. Gorman Lake and Island Lake are located to the east.

Activities

Located within a rural area of

, Green Lake is accessible directly from M-52. Two hiking and biking trails travel along the lake. The Waterloo–DTE Energy Foundation Trail has its trailhead at the north end of Green Lake and includes the Green Lake Loop, which travels for through the forests around Green Lake. The Waterloo–Pinckney Trail travels along Green Lake and the campground. It runs much longer for and connects Waterloo State Recreation Area to

. The Green Lake Rustic Campground is a state-operated campground located along the southern end of Green Lake. The campground contains 25 campsites and a

yurt A yurt (from the Turkic languages) or ger ( Mongolian) is a portable, round tent covered and insulated with skins or felt and traditionally used as a dwelling by several distinct nomadic groups in the steppes and mountains of Central Asia. ...

. The campground does not have electricity or running water but does contain vault toilets and a hand pump for water. The campground also contains the only public access site for the lake—a small boat launch at the southeastern corner of the lake. The gravel boat launch is only suitable for small vessels, such as canoes and kayaks. In 2020, the

Border-to-Border Trail The Border-to-Border (B2B) Trail is a partially constructed non-motorized trail in Washtenaw County, Michigan. The trail is planned to cover approximately from Livingston County to Wayne County along the Huron River. In thirteen segments fro ...

was extended to run along Green Lake parallel to M-52. This portion of the biking trail serves to better connect the recreation areas of Waterloo and Pinckney, as well as a route connecting the city of

to the village of Stockbridge to the north. Green Lake is also a popular fishing destination. Common fish within the lake include

bluegill The bluegill (''Lepomis macrochirus''), sometimes referred to as "bream", "brim", "sunny", or "copper nose" as is common in Texas, is a species of North American freshwater fish, native to and commonly found in streams, rivers, lakes, ponds and ...

crappie Crappies () are two species of North American freshwater fish of the genus ''Pomoxis'' in the family Centrarchidae (sunfishes). Both species of crappies are popular game fish among recreational anglers. Etymology The genus name ''Pomoxis'' ...

largemouth bass The largemouth bass (''Micropterus salmoides'') is a carnivorous freshwater gamefish in the Centrarchidae ( sunfish) family, a species of black bass native to the eastern and central United States, southeastern Canada and northern Mexico, but ...

, smallmouth bass, and

yellow perch The yellow perch (''Perca flavescens''), commonly referred to as perch, striped perch, American perch, American river perch or preacher is a freshwater perciform fish native to much of North America. The yellow perch was described in 1814 by Samu ...

Images

File:Green Lake (Washtenaw County, MI) boat launch.jpg, File:Green Lake (Washtenaw County, MI) southern end.jpg, File:Green Lake (Washtenaw County, MI) middle view.jpg, File:Green Lake (Washtenaw County, MI) campground.jpg,

References

{{Reflist Lakes of Michigan Bodies of water of Washtenaw County, Michigan Protected areas of Washtenaw County, Michigan