Bed and breakfast
The Canfield House
On Portage Lake in Onekama
A bed and breakfast on Portage Lake in Onekama, in a 1900 summer home built for Manistee lumberman Charles Canfield, with its own beach.
Lake · Ludington & Manistee
Portage Lake
An all-sports lake at Onekama with marinas and a channel to Lake Michigan. Swim at the village park, fish for perch and bass, ice fish in winter.
Portage Lake is an all-sports lake with a door to Lake Michigan: ski, tube and cruise on the open water, then run the channel out to the big lake. Only the channel and the water within 200 feet of it are slow no-wake. The lake covers about 2,116 acres and reaches about 60 feet at its deepest.
Boaters have two marinas to work with. Onekama Marine has been on the lake since 1963, with dockage, storage and service, and Portage Point Marina, at the resort between the two lakes, takes transient boats. Two public ramps, the DNR site at North Point and the village ramp at Onekama Village Park, get trailered boats in.
For a swim, Onekama Village Park in town has a small sandy beach on the lake, next to the ramp and a fishing jetty. Captain John Langland Park, just past the channel, is the Lake Michigan beach.
Anglers come for perch, bass and bluegill, and in winter people ice fish the lake. Ice is never guaranteed, so check conditions locally before you go out.
It lies in Onekama Township on the Lake Michigan shore of western Manistee County, with the village of Onekama on its shore and roughly 10 miles of shoreline.
The channel shaped the place. Opened in 1871, the cut linked Portage Lake to Lake Michigan and reshaped navigation and recreation around it, and by the late 1800s the lake had become a resort community. The channel itself is still a spot to fish, boat and swim.
To get on the water without a ramp, use the township road ends. If you fish, the 2019 DNR creel survey, which ran from April through October, found anglers most often catching yellow perch, largemouth bass and bluegill, with smaller numbers of rock bass, northern pike and smallmouth bass.
On the water
Motorboats and rules
The channel from Lake Michigan and the water within 200 feet of it in Portage Lake are slow no-wake. The rest of the lake has no local limits.
Swimming
Onekama Village Park, off Main Street in town, has a small sandy beach on Portage Lake along with the boat ramp and a fishing jetty. For Lake Michigan surf, Captain John Langland Park sits just past the channel and is the township's main Lake Michigan beach.
Public access
Public access is at township road ends and one public boat launch at North Point, owned by the Michigan DNR.
Boating
A channel connects Portage Lake to Lake Michigan, so you can run out to the big lake from here. The channel itself is a spot for fishing, boating and swimming.
Fishing
In a 2019 DNR creel survey, anglers caught yellow perch, largemouth and smallmouth bass, bluegill, rock bass, northern pike and pumpkinseed, among other species. Check current Michigan DNR rules before fishing.
Fish species
Species include yellow perch, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, bluegill, rock bass, northern pike, and pumpkinseed.
Stocking
Walleye in 2015, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2021, 2023, 2025 and 2026, and coho salmon in 2015 and 2016.
In winter
Portage Lake is ice-fished in winter. Ice is never guaranteed; check conditions locally before you walk out.
Public boat launches
Portage Lake boating access site (North Point)
Two-lane hard-surface ramp that handles all trailerable boats, with a carry-down area, a courtesy pier and parking for about 25 trailers. You need a Recreation Passport for vehicles at state boating access sites.
Onekama Village Park launch
Village of Onekama two-lane ramp with a courtesy pier.
Marinas
- Onekama Marine
Family-run marine business on Portage Lake since 1963. It lists dockage at four locations, summer and winter storage, full mechanical service and boat sales.
- Portage Point Marina
Marina at Portage Point Resort, on the strip of land between Portage Lake and Lake Michigan. It takes transient boaters, lists pump-outs with advance notice and a fish cleaning station, and does not allow swimming or fishing in the marina.
Fishing, launching at a state site or parking at a state park? See licenses and passes for what you need before you go.
Anything not listed here is unverified. Do not assume public access across private shoreline. Check the Michigan DNR boating access listings and the current fishing regulations.
Through the seasons
Summer
Summer is the busy season, with high seasonal demand at the township's recreation sites on and near the lake.
Location
Map of Portage Lake
2 places on an OpenStreetMap map
Places to stay near Portage Lake
Lakefront cottages and homes are listed by the local rental managers and booking sites below.
Hotels and inns
Mid-range
Portage Point ResortListed by Pure Michigan, the state travel bureau
Confirm details before booking.
Search all hotels in Onekama: Booking.com · Expedia · Hotels.com · Google Hotels
We don’t take bookings or earn anything from these links. Rates, availability and any booking problems are handled by the booking site.
More places to stay in Onekama
- The Canfield House · A bed and breakfast on Portage Lake in Onekama, in a 1900 summer home built for Manistee lumberman Charles Canfield, with its own beach.
- Onekama Portage Lake Association places to stay · A community guide to motels, resorts, cottages and vacation rentals around Portage Lake, with nearby options in Arcadia and Bear Lake.
Vacation rentals
- Boardwalk Vacation Rentals · manisteevacations.com
A Manistee-based short-term rental manager with beach homes, condos and cottages around Manistee, Onekama, Bear Lake and Arcadia.
- West Shore Vacation Properties · myludingtonvacation.com
A local company managing vacation homes and cottages in Ludington, Manistee, Onekama and the surrounding lakeshore.
Resort · Mid-range
Portage Point Resort
On Portage Point, on the northwest shore of Portage Lake near Onekama
A historic resort inn on Portage Lake near Onekama that first welcomed guests in 1903.
Confirm details before booking
Nearby towns
Ludington & Manistee · Small town
Onekama
A small summer village on Portage Lake, joined to Lake Michigan by an 1871 channel. Swim at the village park or the big-lake beach, and boat between the two.
About 2 miles away (straight line)
Nearby attractions
Straight-line distances from the map point.
Beach
Captain John Langland Park
Onekama Township's Lake Michigan beach at Portage Point, next to the channel's north pier, with stairs to the sand and a deck for sunsets.
About 1 miles away (straight line)
Beach
Pierport Beach
A rustic public Lake Michigan beach at the end of 13 Mile Road in Pierport, near Bear Lake. Limited parking, few amenities, an artesian well nearby.
About 5 miles away (straight line)
Nature preserve
Lake Bluff Bird Sanctuary
Michigan Audubon's 75-acre sanctuary on a bluff north of Manistee, with old arboretum trees, about two miles of trails and Lake Michigan frontage.
About 6 miles away (straight line)
More lakes and rivers nearby
Lake · Ludington & Manistee
Chief Lake
A 126-acre inland lake west of Chief in Manistee County, with no local boating limits listed. Official information is limited, so check before you go.
- All-sports
Lake · Ludington & Manistee
Bear Lake
An all-sports lake at the village of Bear Lake: ski, tube and wakeboard, fish for walleye and bluegill, swim and camp at Hopkins Park, ice fish in winter.
- All-sports
- Swim beach
- Public launch
Lake · Ludington & Manistee
Arcadia Lake
A small harbor lake at Arcadia with a township marina, a kayak put-in and a channel to Lake Michigan. Ski and tube outside the no-wake north end.
- All-sports
- Public launch