Lake Huron is the third largest of the Great Lakes by volume. Lake Huron is fed by Lake Superior, via the Saint Marys River. At its southern end, Lake Huron drains into the Saint Clair River.
Lake Huron measures 206 miles across and 183 miles north to south. The average depth is 195 feet. The deepest point is around 750 feet.
Lake Huron is hydrologically inseparable from Lake Michigan. The two lakes are joined by the Straits of Mackinac.
The Huron shoreline extends 3,827 miles, and is characterized by shallow, sandy beaches and rocky shores.
Georgian Bay is known for its geography. The region is said to contain 30,000 islands. Georgian Bay is separated from Lake Huron by the tip of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and a series of islands on the western side and the Bruce Peninsula on the eastern side.
Manitoulin Island is the largest freshwater island in the world. Within the island is Lake Manitou, the largest lake in a freshwater island in the world. Along Manitoulin Island’s Providence Bay is one of the most pristine beaches in Lake Huron.
In the Canadian waters of Georgian Bay, Fathom Five National Marine Park is a National Marine Conservation Area that seeks to protect and display shipwrecks and lighthouses, and conserve freshwater ecosystems.
Off the Michigan coast, Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary protects a nationally significant collection of nearly 100 historic Lake Huron shipwrecks.
Located on the eastern end of Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Harbor Island National Wildlife Refuge occupies Harbor and Standerson Islands.
In the southwestern part of Lake Huron, Saginaw Bay forms the space between Michigan’s Thumb region and the rest of the Lower Peninsula of Michigan.
At the entrance to Saginaw Bay is Charity Island, Charity Island Lighthouse, Gravelly Shoal Light, and Big and Little Charity Island National Wildlife Refuges (closed to the public).
The Saginaw Bay region has been identified by Audubon Great Lakes scientists as one of the most important coastal wetlands regions in the Great Lakes. The bay is nicknamed the “Chesapeake of the Midwest” for its abundance of waterfowl, aquatic birds, and other wildlife.
Near Sebewaing, Michigan, Wildfowl Bay State Wildlife area includes a sprawling maze of islands, marshes, and shallow water. South of Sebewaing, Fish Point State Wildlife Area contains over 2,400 acres of waterfowl habitat. The area is popular for waterfowl hunting, fishing, and other activities.
The Saginaw Bay Birding Trail extends along the Saginaw Bay shoreline from Port Crescent State Park on the eastern end to Tawas Point State Park on the western end.
Saginaw Bay and the Saginaw River are among the most popular areas in Lake Huron for walleye fishing. Fishing is particularly productive in early spring when walleye stage in the bay prior to moving up the Saginaw River.
Again in the fall, walleye fishing can be good in Saginaw Bay. During winter, ice fishing can be productive when ice conditions are suitable for activity.
The Saginaw River and Bay was designated as an Area of Concern (AOC) under the 1987 Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement.
The AOC extends from the head of the Saginaw River at the confluence of the Shiawassee and Tittabawassee Rivers upstream of the city of Saginaw, and all of the Saginaw Bay out to its interface with Lake Huron between Au Sable Point and Point Aux Barques.
Since the AOC was designated, a variety of habitat restoration projects have been completed and several of the beneficial use impairments (BUIs) have been removed.
In recent decades, the introduction of new invasive species, including zebra and quagga mussels, the spiny water flea, and round gobies have had negative impacts on Lake Huron.
In 2003, a collapse of the alewife population in Lake Huron triggered major changes to fish populations and other aquatic life.