Wall Lake, Michigan, USA

Lake Locations:

USA - Midwest - Michigan - Southwest -

One of 300 lakes found among the rolling grasslands and open fields of Michigan’s Southwest tourism region, Wall Lake is a private residential lake. Located in Barry County, the lake is within 40 miles of Kalamazoo to the southwest and Battle Creek to the southeast, 65 miles to Grand Rapids in the northwest and Lansing to the northeast. Rural scenery, varied attractions and welcoming communities make Wall Lake the perfect escape from city life.

Created during the last glacial age, Wall Lake may have been named for a wall-like feature that stood just below the water line. Many stories exist as to the mysterious origin of the wall but it was concluded that it was a glacial feature and removed as a hazard in 1963. Wall Lake is a natural freshwater lake with an average depth of 12.3 feet and maximum depth of 35 feet.

Broken by Beechwood Point, a peninsula protruding into the center of the lake, the five-mile shoreline holds 320 homes. Approximately fifty percent of the homes are year-round residences that provide a nice combination of vacation rentals and real estate properties. No matter the length of your visit, a stay at Wall Lake gives you a true sense of belonging. Well-established residences with hillside landscaping and beautifully manicured lawns reflect a sense of pride taken by Wall Lake’s long-standing community of friends and neighbors. The Greater Wall Lake Association successfully monitors quality of life both in, and around, Wall Lake. The Wall Lake Yacht Club has been welcoming members since 1953 and the “Wall Lake Ladies of the Lake” meet once a month “to promote a sense of camaraderie as neighbors around Wall Lake.”

Access to 571 acres of sparkling lake water is limited to Wall Lake residents. On a warm summer day you will find friends enjoying boating, canoeing and kayaking, tubing, swimming and fishing. Species found in Wall Lake include bass, bluegill, perch, walleye, and crappie. When the lake freezes over and snow starts to fall, activities turn to ice fishing, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling.

Family-friendly attractions are within easy driving distance of Wall Lake and the nearby communities of Delton and Cloverdale. Lakes with public access include Crooked Lake, Fine Lake, Long Lake and Pine Lake. All have hard-surface ramps and restrooms except Pine Lake, which has a gravel ramp. Like Wall Lake, these are residential lakes, so do check for restrictions and regulations before launching your boats.

Located on Barlow Lake, Bowens Mills lies 25 miles northwest of Wall Lake. A Michigan Historical Site, this restored mill has seen milling operations come and go since the late 1830s. Now this living history museum is open by appointment May through August. From the second weekend in September to the end of October, the mill’s cider presses come alive for the “It’s Cider Time Festivals.”

Charlton Park Village Museum and Recreation Area, 20 miles northeast of Wall Lake, is built upon lands once used by Pottawatomi tribes. Today, the land is occupied by 25 restored buildings housing artifacts that depict rural Michigan life during the late 19th and early 20th century. The grounds are open daily from Memorial Day through Labor Day. A surrounding 298-acre recreation area includes river and lake access, shelters, paved boat ramp and beaches, so come prepared for picnics, swimming and fishing.

Less than 10 miles northeast of Wall Lake, Pierce Cedar Creek Institute, a 661-acre environmental education center, has over seven miles of trails open for hiking, skiing, snowshoeing and observing wildlife. Ten miles north of Wall Lake you will find Robert and Mildred Otis Sanctuary and Barry State Game Area. These protected lands offer more hiking trails and canoe launches for bird and wildlife watching.

When you leave the quiet community of Wall Lake to explore wide open spaces, drive ten miles north to Yankee Springs Recreation Area. Nine lakes are located within this 5,200-acre park. A modern campground at Gun Lake provides a boat launch, electrical service and modern restrooms. Two rustic campgrounds are available, one on Deep Lake and one set within the park for equestrian campers. Thirty miles of hiking trails, 12 miles of mountain-bike trails, and nine miles of horseback trails are open to cross-country skiing in the winter. Fishing, hunting, wildlife watching and swimming are among the activities. Picnic shelters, playgrounds, two public beaches and two “universally accessible fishing piers” are available for family fun.

Located between Kalamazoo and Battle Creek, and 20 miles southeast of Wall Lake, Fort Custer Recreation Area offers a rustic and modern campground. Originally a World War II military training center, the state now maintains 25 miles of trails open to hiking, cross-county skiing, dog sledding, horseback riding and mountain biking.

Celebrations of rural life surround Wall Lake. Farm festivals, harvest festivals, county fairs and Christmas celebrations are seasonal reminders of all that is good about life on Wall Lake. Whether you find a home just for summer fun, or stay to watch the prairies turn from green grass to sparkling snowfields, a piece of your heart will always be tied to the community of Wall Lake.

Things to do at Wall Lake

  • Vacation Rentals
  • Fishing
  • Ice Fishing
  • Boating
  • Swimming
  • Beach
  • Canoeing
  • Kayaking
  • Tubing
  • Camping
  • Campground
  • Picnicking
  • Hiking
  • Biking
  • Cross-Country Skiing
  • Snowmobiling
  • Dog Sledding
  • Horseback Riding
  • Hunting
  • Wildlife Viewing
  • Museum
  • Playground

Fish species found at Wall Lake

  • Bass
  • Bluegill
  • Crappie
  • Perch
  • Sunfish
  • Walleye

Wall Lake Photo Gallery

    Wall Lake Statistics & Helpful Links

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    Lake Type: Natural Freshwater Lake, Not Dammed

    Surface Area: 571 acres

    Shoreline Length: 5 miles

    Normal Elevation (Full Pond): 925 feet

    Average Depth: 12 feet

    Maximum Depth: 35 feet

    Water Volume: 7,051 acre-feet

    Drainage Area: 2,136 sq. miles

    Trophic State: Mesotrophic

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    Trophic State | LakeLubbers

    Trophic State measures the level of algae and nutrients in a lake.

    An oligotrophic lake is very clear (blue in color) and does not support much plant or fish life. A hyper-oligotrophic lake is the clearest of all lakes, and is nearly devoid of plants and fish.

    A mesotrophic lake is slightly green and supports a moderate degree of plant and fish life. A lake's most desired trophic state is generally this mid-point - the mesotrophic state.

    A eutrophic lake is somewhat murky and supports a large amount of plant and fish life. A hypereutrophic lake is clouded with algae, plant life, and fish life. A eutrophic or hyper-eutrophic lake can be difficult to navigate by boat - and is often an unpleasant place to swim.

    The use of phosphorus-rich and nitrogen-rich fertilizer on lawns and golf courses surrounding a lake can cause it to become eutrophic or hypereutrophic.

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    Catchment or Drainage Area | LakeLubbers

    This is the surrounding area that drains into a lake, including land, rivers and their tributaries. This is also known as the lake's "catchment basin".

    Small lakes at the highest peaks of mountains have small drainage areas. The world's oceans have the largest drainage areas.

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    Lake-Area Population | LakeLubbers

    This is the estimated number of people who live in a house with a view of a lake, plus those who self-describe the lake as their home, for example: "I live at Smith Mountain Lake."

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    Water Residence Time | LakeLubbers

    This is the estimated time that it takes for an amount of water equal to the entire volume of a lake to flow out of - or evaporate from - the lake.

    Residence Time can be as short as a few days for fast-flowing small lakes, and can exceed 100 years for slow-flowing large lakes.

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    Completion Year | LakeLubbers

    This is the year that a reservoir was first filled to the reservoir's normal elevation - or the year that a natural lake was first dammed. A large reservoir can take more than a year to fill after its dam is first closed.

    The Grand Anicut in southern India is generally considered the world's oldest dam that still operates. Grand Anicut was constructed in the second century BC. It now impounds an irrigation network that includes roughly one million acres.

    You can find many of the the world's newest reservoirs on LakeLubbers. Many of the world's oldest reservoirs appear on the last page of that list.

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    Water Volume | LakeLubbers

    This is the estimated volume of water that a lake contains -- measured at the lake's normal elevation. By this measure, the world's largest freshwater lake is Siberia's Lake Baikal.

    You can find many of the the world's largest lakes (by water volume) on LakeLubbers.

    Water Volume can be measured in acre-feet, in cubic miles, or in cubic kilometers. One acre-foot is the amount of water needed to cover one acre (43,560 square feet) to a depth of one foot. One cubic mile equals 3,379,200 acre-feet. One cubic kilometer equals 810,713 acre-feet.

    1 acre-foot is equal to 325,851 US gallons. Siberia's Lake Baikal contains about 6,276,367,740,000,000 gallons of freshwater - nearly 1 million gallons for every living person on earth.

    The other - and more widely used - measure of a lake's size is the lake's surface acreage. By that measure, the world's largest freshwater lake is North America's Lake Superior.

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    Maximum Depth | LakeLubbers

    This is the estimated greatest depth of the water in a lake -- measured at the lake's normal elevation. The world's deepest lake is Siberia's Lake Baikal; that lake's maximum depth is estimated at 5,314 feet.

    You can find many of the the world's deepest lakes on LakeLubbers. If you select the last page of that list, you will find the (maximum depth of) the shallowest lakes in our database.

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    Average Depth | LakeLubbers

    This is the estimated average depth of the water in a lake -- measured at the lake's normal elevation. If the water volume and surface area of a lake are known, an estimate of the lake's average depth can be calculated:

    Water volume ÷ Surface Area = Average Depth

    Example: 1,000,000 acre-feet ÷ 20,000 acres = 50 feet average depth

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    Maximum Elevation | LakeLubbers

    This is a lake's highest water level, measured by the lake's surface distance above sea level, that can occur during flooding. A lake's highest possible maximum elevation is usually the top of the lake's dam or spillway.

    At lakes that include residential development, government regulations usually forbid the construction of homes below a lake's maximum elevation.

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    Minimum Elevation | LakeLubbers

    This is a lake's lowest water level, measured by the lake's surface distance above sea level, that can be reasonably expected to occur. Low lake levels can occur due to deliberate seasonal draw downs for irrigation or impending snow melt, reduced water inflows, drought and evaporation, residential or commercial water demands, and hydropower generation.

    Some lakes' minimum and maximum elevations are virtually the same. Lakes that generate hydropower may vary by several feet - according to power demand. Lakes whose primary purpose is to prevent flooding can seasonally vary by 100 feet or more.

    When some lakes reach their minimum elevation, their boat ramps may not be long enough to permit boat access - and boats docked on shallow parts of the lake may end up on dry ground. In those cases, kayakers and shore-based anglers may be among the few happy recreational users of the lake.

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    Normal Elevation | LakeLubbers

    This is a lake's normal water level, measured by the lake's surface distance above sea level. For a reservoir, this water level is also known as "full pond" or "full pool".

    You can find many of the world's highest-elevated lakes on LakeLubbers. Lakes with the lowest elevations (known by LakeLubbers) are shown on the final page of that list.

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    Shoreline Length | LakeLubbers

    This is the length of the exterior shoreline around a lake - measured at the lake's normal elevation. The shoreline length can be considerably shorter or longer when lake water levels are lower or higher than normal.

    A lake with many coves has a much longer shoreline than a lake of similar surface area that is nearly circular in shape.

    When known, the shoreline miles that we report in our statistics include only the lake's exterior shoreline, and exclude the shorelines of islands located within a lake's boundaries. In lakes with many islands, those islands' combined shorelines may exceed a lake's exterior shoreline.

    You can find many of the world's longest-shoreline lakes on Lakelubbers.

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    Surface Area | LakeLubbers

    This is the area (acreage, square kilometers, etc.) of the top surface area of a lake - measured at a lake's normal elevation. The surface area can be considerably smaller or larger when lake levels are lower or higher than normal. North America's Lake Superior is the world's largest freshwater lake by this measure.

    The other measure of a lake's size is the lake's water volume. By that measure, the world's largest freshwater lake is Lake Baikal in Siberia.

    You can find many of the world's largest lakes (acres) on Lakelubbers. There is no widely-accepted minimum surface area that defines a lake. What Lakelubbers describes as a lake, you might call a pond. The smallest lake that Lakelubbers currently includes is Hawaii's 2-acre Lake Waiau.

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    Water Level Control | LakeLubbers

    This is the organization that controls water releases or outflows from the lake or reservoir. In the USA, this is often the US Army Corps of Engineers, a power company, a municipal water system, an irrigation district, or a paper manufacturing company. In the case of private or gated lakes, a homeowners' association may be the lake's controlling authority.

    Many lakes cross borders, including North America's Great Lakes. The control of such lakes and their coveted freshwater may be amicably shared - or hotly disputed.

    "Water wars" continue at many lakes as growing populations and crop irrigation needs compete for the freshwater that lakes contain.

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    Lake Type | LakeLubbers

    There are 3 basic types of lakes that are currently included on LakeLubbers. 2 types may be dammed or not dammed, producing 5 classifications.

    - A Reservoir is a man-made freshwater lake that is usually created by damming rivers.

    - A Natural Freshwater Lake occurs naturally - often by glacial activity - and has a salinity of less than 30 parts per thousand. It may be dammed to produce electricity or for other reasons.

    - A Natural Saltwater Lake occurs naturally and has a salinity of more than 30 parts per thousand (ppt). It may be dammed.

    "Brackish" water may be categorized as freshwater or saltwater, depending on its salt content (salinity). Oligohaline water has less than 15 ppt of salt. Mesohaline water has 15-29 ppt. Polyhaline has 30-335 ppt.

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