LAKE MICHIGAN

What You Should Know Before Buying

Can a Wetland be found on a 70-foot high bluff?

Yes — elevation doesn't prevent wetlands from forming if soil and hydrology conditions are right.

Where could someone make a Lake Michigan lot non-buildable with a snow fence and one winter season?

Anywhere foredunes or natural flow patterns are altered, which can trigger critical dune regulations.

What is a Critical Dune Area?

A state-protected landscape where building and land alterations are heavily regulated.

Can a sand pile left in 1980 stop you from building today?

Yes — if it altered the natural topography and qualifies as a protected dune.

Who can stop your 10,000 sq ft beach house?

The DEQ (Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy) — based on regulations.

What does "De-designated" mean?

It means a parcel is no longer considered within a critical dune or protected zone.

What's the most important thing you need to build on the lake?

A topographical survey — it defines contours, buildable zones, and critical elevations.

When can a foredune become buildable, and can you create one?

Only when properly stabilized and permitted. Artificial foredunes often require DNR oversight.

What native plants can't be relocated without permitting?

Pitcher's thistle and dune grasses are protected and relocating them can require approval.

What size tree can get you fined by the DEQ if cut down?

Anything over 2" in diameter can trigger penalties in regulated areas.

Can a 300-ft tree live inside a 300-ft dune?

No — the tree would be buried; dunes shift and change with wind and water.

Why do property owners love Crown Vetch?

It's fast-growing and stabilizes soil, but it's also invasive and not always permitted.

What's green in summer, gold in fall, and builds dunes?

Beachgrass — essential to dune stabilization and protected by law.

What is a natural blowout?

A depression in a dune created when vegetation dies and sand is blown out.

Can a well go dry when you're only 250 feet from Lake Michigan?

Yes — local geology, elevation, and seasonal table levels all play a role.

What is an aquifer and how do you know if you have one?

It's a natural underground water source. You'll need a hydrogeologic survey to confirm.

What year had Lake Michigan's highest recorded water level?

1986, and again in 2020.

Why is Lake Michigan turquoise sometimes?

Fine suspended particles and algae reflect sunlight in ways that change water color.

What could Niagara Falls and the ocean do to affect Lake Michigan?

Massive climate or geological shifts — global warming can alter inflow/outflow patterns.

What impacts your beach more — steel seawalls or rubble revetment?

Steel walls reflect wave energy and worsen erosion; revetment absorbs it.

Where is the best beach relative to a harbor?

Usually five miles south — sand deposits build up naturally on the south side.

How can a bluff height be changed from 100 to 40 feet?

Through engineered grading plans, typically as part of a development agreement.

What melts like ice cream and affects your beach?

Clay layers in bluffs — when exposed, they destabilize surrounding sand and promote erosion.

What are groins and how do they affect down drift?

Structures that trap sand on one side but starve beaches downstream.

Can a homeowner be fined for moving beach stones?

Yes — in protected zones, beach grooming can violate DEQ rules.

Can a shipping channel alter your beach?

Absolutely — dredging and sediment redirection can cause down-current erosion.

How can beach fires affect your dune?

They can kill stabilizing vegetation and accelerate erosion.

What is littoral drift?

The natural movement of sand and sediment along a shoreline.

How does satellite imaging affect your Lake Michigan property?

It impacts assessments for erosion, vegetation loss, and topographic changes used in permitting.

Is "stealing the footprint" real?

Yes — if a neighbor builds too close to your buildable zone, it can interfere.

Who might have a Beach Cop?

A Littoral beach — privately owned and patrolled.

Can you own the beach?

In Michigan, ownership often stops at the ordinary high water mark — the public can walk below it.

What is an Ice Volcano?

Mounds of ice formed by waves pushing water up through holes in shore ice — common in winter.

What makes a wave spin?

Wind shear and lakebed topography can cause rotational wave motion.

What resembles a scissor-cutting action in Lake Michigan?

Converging longshore currents that meet and slice through sandbars.

Can lightning create glass on a beach?

Yes — fulgurites form when lightning strikes silica-rich sand.

Is beach glass natural or man-made?

Man-made — but smoothed by years in the lake.

How do you escape a rip current?

Swim parallel to the shore until you're out of the current, then swim back in.

Where are the three U.S. locations to see sunsets over a large body of water?

West Michigan (Lake Michigan), the Pacific coast, and parts of the Florida panhandle.

What is a Mushroom House?

A unique architectural home built in Charlevoix using organic, natural shapes and stone.

When did the Chicago Tribune give away free lake lots?

In the 1920s — to promote subscriptions and tourism development.

Is there a pier in Union Pier?

Not a public one — it's named historically, not for a structure.

Which state has the most freshwater shoreline?

Michigan — more than any other U.S. state.

What Lake Michigan fish can weigh 70 pounds?

Lake sturgeon — ancient and rarely seen, mostly at dawn or dusk.

What helped rebuild Chicago after the Great Fire?

Lumber shipped across Lake Michigan from Michigan and Wisconsin.