Lake Gogebic State Park, Michigan

[luvztheoutdoor1]

My sister and I will be stopping there for a couple of nights around Labor Day. We have reserved a site on the lake. Can anyone tell me what the lake bottom is like there? Mucky? Rocky? Sandy? Is it possible to swim from the campsite? Thanks for your replies.

[travelnutz]

Dog Trainer,

The beach at Gogebic SP beach is about 4 SP campsites width total in length and if you call that "huge" when living in Richmond, Michigan north of Detroit, you are sure missing something. It's really a tiny beach. OP said they normally camp on Lake Superior and that's real beaches with Michigan sand but many have lots of stones and rocks too under the water etc too. Some are all stones or rocks as we've been to so many U.P. beaches that are over the last 51 years.

Check it out!

Google Maps 2014 closeup satellite view shows the beach area and the 2 picnic tables very clearly and it's grassy within a few feet of the water and just what we saw when there. It's what is commonly referred to in Michigan as an end of a road local small beach and not even remotely like an average Michigan beachs, especially on the west side of the state where it's mostly wide pure clean light golden colored sand for over 300 miles in length. Check out the satellite closeup of the beaches in Michigan and see what "huge" beaches really are.

[C_B_]

Sent you a PM

C.B.

[Dog_Trainer]

Lk Gogebic has a huge beach area for swimming it is sandy bottom and a large sand beach.

[luvztheoutdoor1]

Thanks for your response. We camp on Lake Superior every summer and always passed Lake Gogebic. It always was so pretty that we thought we would start our trip there this year. Also, the feeling is that the big lake will be just too cold this year to venture out even a little bit so an inland lake might be bearable.

[travelnutz]

We've only camped there overnight twice and didn't swim as the two stays were in October and the water was too cold. I do remember a small beach like area that looked swimable near the very southern entrance end of the CG area but not at the campsites as it's vegetation to the lake's edge. I don't remember clearly what the bottom was right at the campsites though. I do seem to remember some stony and sand bottom at the little beach but there could be rocks on the bottom in the deeper water,just guessing.

Lake Gogebic runs about north and south, is quite large but not very deep by Michigan inland lake standards. About 13,400 acres in size, 2-1/2 miles wide and 14 miles long but only 38 feet deep at max. A very pretty area. Good fishing in the lake with walleyes and northern pike being the largest fish and smallmouth bass being the next largest. Remember that northern pike have "Y" shaped bones that can get caught in your throat and cause you to choke so ask locally how the clean well and remove the Y bones. Walleye's are an excellent eating very mild white meat fish.

Have fun!