Photo by Todd & Brad Reed Photography
If you’re looking for a fun, inexpensive family vacation, then Hamlin Lake is where you want to be. It offers terrific summer recreation, including swimming, boating, tubing, and fishing. At more than 12 miles long and 5,000 acres large, there’s more than enough space for everyone without feeling crowded. This man-made lake originated during the logging hey-day when lumbermen dammed the Big Sable River to make an enormous holding pond for trees felled upstream.
Hamlin Lake touches the Manistee National Forest on the north, towering dunes in the west and miles of undeveloped wilderness all around. The eastern shoreline of Hamlin Lake is filled with family-friendly resorts and cottages…many with marinas where you can launch your boat or rent one for the day. Read our story to learn about the history of Hamlin Lake.
Located along the western shore of Hamlin Lake is the Ludington State Park. Within the park is the Hamlin Dam, a great spot for catching salmon in the fall. The sandy shoreline of Hamlin Lake Beach is popular with swimmers and sunbathers. It features picnic lawns, concession stands, and restrooms. From here you can begin your walk on a hiking path, or rent a canoe or kayak and take a leisurely glide on marked paths that meander along the state park’s shoreline.
The northern shore of Lower Hamlin Lake is comprised of beautiful sand dunes. It’s a great place to anchor your boat just off shore and enjoy sunning or sandy-bottom swimming. Climb the dunes for a magnificent view of Hamlin Lake and Lake Michigan. Just to the west of the dunes, you can land your boat at the shoreline and follow a trail into the Ludington State Park and the Hamlin Lake dam.
The fishing is great on Hamlin Lake! Whether you traverse the bayous or head for deeper waters, Hamlin Lake offers a smorgasbord of fish. Tiger muskie, northern pike, large and small mouth bass, perch, crappie, bluegill and over 600,000 walleye, planted several years ago, promise a superb catch. The fishing doesn’t cool down in winter either. Tip-ups and shanties dot the ice as fishermen pull in delicious panfish and walleye.
Hamlin Lake is a wonderful destination during the warmer months, but winter is beautiful as well. During the winter, ice-shanties are scattered on the frozen lake and you can participate in a local ice-fishing tournament. Winter also means ice-skating and cross-country skiing on miles of groomed trails along Hamlin Lake and through Ludington State Park’s frozen wilderness, truly making Hamlin a lake for all seasons.
Hamlin Lake offers fun throughout the year, from fishing to fireworks. Visit Hamlin Lake during one of Michigan’s Free Fishing Weekends. These take place twice a year, in February and June, and all fishing licenses are waived during those weekends. The Ludington State Park offers activities, speakers, and programs all throughout the year. And celebrate the 4th of July with the Hamlin Lake fireworks show.
Hamlin Lake is located 4 miles north of Ludington.
Visit Grand Traverse County including Traverse City, Leelanau Peninsula, Grand Traverse Bay, and the Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore.
Visit Scottville, Michigan, home of the Scottville Clown Band and Scottville Riverside Park on the Pere Marquette River.
Far removed from the big cities on beautiful Lake Michigan you’ll find Ludington, the kind of town people want to visit and many call home!
Visit Leelanau County in Northwest Michigan, home to communities like Empire, Glen Arbor, Leland, Northport, & Suttons Bay.
Visit the Pere Marquette River (PM River) in West Michigan for world class trout and steelhead fishing, and scenic canoe trips.
Visit Benzie County, home to Sleeping Bear Dunes and Interlochen Arts. Enjoy “Up North” scenery and that wonderful Northern Michigan feeling.
Set in the heart of the Manistee National Forest, Baldwin is a haven for those who enjoy the great outdoors.
The Victorian port city of Manistee, MI features a River Walk, historic Ramsdell Theatre and the S.S. City of Milwaukee.
Pentwater is a charming West Michigan village on the shore of Lake Michigan, and a favorite summertime harbor destination.
Visit Silver Lake and the Silver Lake Sand Dunes between Ludington and Muskegon in West Michigan for dune rides, water sports, and family fun!
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