Lake · Charlevoix & Petoskey
A deep, clear all-sports lake south of Petoskey with marinas at Walloon Lake village, small township beaches and launches, and ice fishing in winter.
Walloon Lake is an all-sports lake with clear, deep water. Ski, tube and cruise its long arms, fish for walleye and smallmouth bass, and in winter join the ice anglers. It is also where Ernest Hemingway spent his boyhood summers.
It covers about 4,270 acres across the line between Charlevoix and Emmet counties south of Petoskey, and its West Arm reaches about 100 feet deep. There are no special local speed or hour limits, but the lake association asks boaters to keep wakes small near shore and in shallow water, and wake boats in surf mode to stay well out in deep water.
Walloon Lake village, at the east end, is where you will find a full-service marina, and Bear Cove Marina rents ski boats, pontoons and small fishing boats. For a swim, Resort Pike Park and Jones Landing Park are small township parks, one with stairs down to the water and one with a sandy beach.
The lake is not one open basin but a set of long arms: the Foot, the West Arm, the North Arm, Wildwood and the shallow Mud Lake, with roughly 30 miles of shoreline. Groundwater supplies roughly half the lake’s water, and it is a clear, low-nutrient lake.
The tradeoff is access. Most of the shoreline is private, lined with cottages and homes, so public launches are few and small. Pick your launch ahead of time, since some are shallow or have no trailer parking. The Bear River leaves the lake at the village on its way to Little Traverse Bay.
The Hemingway family began summering here in 1898, when it was still called Bear Lake, and built a modest cottage named Windemere on the shore around 1900. Windemere stands on the north shore and is still owned by the Hemingway family. Nearby Horton Bay, where Ernest married in 1921, appears in several of his stories.
No special local watercraft controls apply on Walloon Lake in Charlevoix or Emmet county, so standard state boating law is the rule.
Resort Pike Park, a small Resort Township park at the south end of Resort Pike Road, is a popular local swimming spot, with stairs down to the lake, parking, restrooms and a small pavilion. Renovations are scheduled to begin in fall 2026, so check before you go. Jones Landing Park, a Bear Creek Township park off Gruler Road, has a sandy beach, a pavilion and a playground, and the visitors bureau lists a small public beach off M-75 near Walloon Lake village.
Resort Township's Morford Park, near Morford and Lake Grove roads, has the township's only Walloon Lake launch, a 20-foot concrete ramp with a seasonal dock. The water there is shallow, parking is limited and there is no trailer parking. There is also the Stolt Road access, an unimproved road-end launch with no ramp, suited only to small craft.
There is a launch on M-75 at Sumner Road, and several businesses rent pontoons, ski boats and paddleboards for the lake.
The Walloon Lake Association and Conservancy asks all motorboats to keep wakes small in water under 10 feet deep and within 200 feet of shore and docks, and asks wake boats in surf mode to stay in water deeper than 20 feet and at least 500 feet from shore, docks and other boats. These are voluntary requests, not law.
Walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike, rock bass and perch live here, along with rainbow and lake trout (both stocked in the past). Check current Michigan DNR rules before fishing.
Species include walleye, smallmouth bass, northern pike, rock bass, perch, rainbow trout, and lake trout.
No DNR stocking recorded since 2015. Rainbow trout, lake trout and brown trout were stocked in earlier decades, most recently rainbow trout in 2008.
Walloon is a clear, low-nutrient (oligotrophic) lake with little plant growth or algae. Groundwater supplies about 53 percent of its water.
Swimmer's itch occurs in northern Michigan lakes, Walloon included. Shallow, warm water near waterfowl is the riskiest, so swim in deeper water and towel off afterward. Wash your boat before launching to keep invasive species out: there are cleaning stations at the Jones Landing, Sumner Road, Townsend Road and Walloon Village launches.
When Walloon freezes over, it draws ice anglers out onto the frozen lake. Ice conditions change from year to year, so check thickness yourself before you go out.
Melrose Township launch
Township launch with one lane, a hard-surfaced ramp deep enough for most trailered boats, 14 trailer spaces, a flush toilet and a waterless boat-cleaning station. Launch fee.
Jones Landing Park
Bear Creek Township park off Gruler Road with a one-lane hard-surfaced ramp, 13 trailer spaces, restrooms and a waterless boat-cleaning station. The park also has a sandy beach, a pavilion and a playground.
Morford Park
Resort Township launch near Morford and Lake Grove roads: a 20-foot concrete ramp with a seasonal dock in shallow water. Parking is limited and there is no trailer parking.
Full-service marina in downtown Walloon Lake village, formerly Tommy's Walloon, listing boat sales, service, storage, detailing and rentals, with a pro shop open year round.
Full-service marina that has served Walloon Lake since 1958, listing rentals of ski boats, pontoons and 14-foot fishing boats.
Kayak and paddleboard rentals for Lake Charlevoix and Walloon Lake, with delivery to your waterfront.
Listed because their own sites say they rent on this water. Not an endorsement, and we have no ties to them. Check with them for what is available.
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.
Map of Walloon Lake
2 places on an OpenStreetMap map
Lakefront cottages and homes are listed by the local rental managers and booking sites below.
Upscale
Hotel WalloonAAA Four Diamond · Tripadvisor Travelers' Choice 2026
Listed as open year round; confirm dates when you book.
Search all hotels in Walloon Lake: 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.
Hotel · Upscale
On M-75 in Walloon Lake Village, beside Walloon Lake
An independently owned 32-room boutique hotel in Walloon Lake Village, rated AAA Four Diamond, with lakeside dining at the historic Walloon Lake Inn.
Listed as open year round; confirm dates when you book.
Charlevoix & Petoskey · Small town
A small resort village on clear Walloon Lake, south of Petoskey, for boating, swimming and the Hemingway family's summer story.
About 5 miles away (straight line)
Straight-line distances from the map point.
Waterfront
A resort village and marina on Little Traverse Bay west of Petoskey, with Bay Harbor Golf Club, a lakeside inn, a performing arts center and a public park.
About 5 miles away (straight line)
State park
Boyne City's state park on Lake Charlevoix, with a swimming beach, a boat launch, three modern campgrounds and 6.5 miles of trails.
About 5 miles away (straight line)
Beach
Petoskey's city beach at Magnus Park: about 1,000 feet of Little Traverse Bay shoreline, a walk from downtown and good for Petoskey stones.
About 5 miles away (straight line)
River · Charlevoix & Petoskey
A short, fast river through Petoskey, with a quarter-mile whitewater course, a canoe livery for easy family floats and brook trout above the dam.
River · Charlevoix & Petoskey
A short trout stream into Lake Charlevoix at Boyne City, with an easy float of an hour or two from Dam Road to the lake and steelhead below the dam.
Bay · Charlevoix & Petoskey
A Lake Michigan bay with marinas in Petoskey, Harbor Springs and Bay Harbor, swim beaches at the state park and Zorn Park, and Petoskey stones in the shallows.
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