Elk River Chain of Lakes Watershed

(Redirected from Lake Bellaire) Drainage basin in Michigan, United States

The Elk River Chain of Lakes Watershed, commonly known as the Chain of Lakes, is a 75-mile-long (121 km) waterway consisting of 14 lakes and connecting rivers in the northwestern section of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan, which empty into Lake Michigan.

The watershed includes 500 square miles (1,300 km) in Antrim, Charlevoix, Grand Traverse, and Kalkaska counties. The watershed includes a series of 14 lakes and interconnecting rivers. From the uppermost lake in the chain, Beals Lake in Echo Township, Antrim County, the water flows 55 miles (89 km) and drops 40 feet (12 m) in elevation. It has over 200 miles (320 km) of shoreline and almost 60 square miles (160 km) of water surface.

Geography

The chain of lakes system begins with the upper stage of the Intermediate River, which rises in hill country at 45°00′20″N 85°04′45″W / 45.00556°N 85.07917°W / 45.00556; -85.07917 in the northwest corner of Chestonia Township in central Antrim County. From here, the waterway traverses a number of small lakes flowing north, then making a sharp turn near the village of Ellsworth, flows south through a narrow valley, paralleling the tracks of the Pere Marquette Railroad, until emptying into Intermediate Lake. The outlet of Intermediate Lake converges with the Cedar River in the village of Bellaire, gaining considerable volume. Now a river of substantial flow, it continues south into 1,700-acre (6.9 km) Lake Bellaire. Leaving the lake, the stream becomes the Grass River, winding for some two miles (3.2 km) through the scenic Grass River Natural Area before emptying into Clam Lake. Clam Lake in turn empties directly into Torch Lake. At over 18,000 acres (73 km) in size, Torch Lake is the largest body of water in the system. The waterway, now clarified after traversing the immense depths of the lake, continues south through the Torch River, joins with the Rapid River, a major tributary, and empties into Lake Skegemog, a 2,500-acre (10 km) lake that is studded with large stump fields, the result of the flooding of timberlands when the lake level was raised several feet by the construction of the dam at the terminus of the system. Lake Skegemog, which is the meeting point of Grand Traverse, Kalkaska and Antrim counties, is conjoined at its western end to 7,700-acre (31 km) Elk Lake, the second-largest and final lake in the system. The outflow of Elk Lake, the Elk River, flows a short distance to a power dam in the town of Elk Rapids, then out into the east arm of the Grand Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan at 44°54′06″N 85°24′49″W / 44.90167°N 85.41361°W / 44.90167; -85.41361. For most of its length, the chain is navigable by small boat, broken up only by a dam in Bellaire. Larger boats are able to navigate between Elk Rapids and Torch Lake.

History

Rivers and lakes in the watershed

The 14 lakes (numbered) and connecting waterways in the chain of lakes are highlighted in bold. Other tributaries are in normal text

Elk River
- 1) Elk Lake
  - Williamsburg Creek
    - Bissell Pond
      - Bissell Creek
  - Battle Creek
  - 2) Lake Skegemog
    - Barker Creek
    - Desmond Creek
    - Torch River
      - Rapid River
        Rugg Pond (also known as Antrim Pond)
        Little Rapid River
      - 3) Torch Lake
        Spencer Creek
        
        Eastport Creek
        
        Wilkinson Creek (also Wilkenson Creek)
        
        4) Clam Lake
        Finch Creek
        Crow Creek
        
        Grass River
        Cold Creek
        
        Shanty Creek
        
        5) Lake Bellaire
        Grass Creek
        
        Intermediate River
        Cedar River
        Blair Lake
        
        North Branch Cedar River
        
        Woolcott Creek
        
        6) Intermediate Lake
        Openo Creek
        
        Fisk Creek
        
        7) Hanley Lake
        Green River
        Ogletree Creek
        Kitty Ann Creek
        
        Toad Lake
        Toad Creek
        Mud Lake
        Little Torch Lake
        
        8) Ben-way Lake
        Benway Creek
        
        9) Wilson Lake
        Vonstraten Creek
        King Creek
        
        Eaton Lake
        
        10) Ellsworth Lake
        Skinner Creek
        Skinner Lake
        
        Marion Creek
        
        11) St. Clair Lake
        St. Clair Creek
        Lyman Creek
        Lymans Lake (also Lyman Lake)
        
        12) Sixmile Lake
        Liscon Creek
        Ranney Creek
        
        Vance Creek
        
        Dingman River
        Smith Creek
        
        13) Scotts Lake
        Beal Creek
        
        14) Beals Lake
        Intermediate River
        Spence Creek
        
        Taylor Creek
        
        Seamon Creek
        
        Hitchcock Creek

Cities, villages, and townships in the watershed

The Elk River Chain of Lakes Watershed includes all or portions of the following cities, villages, and townships:

Antrim County

References

External links

Elk River Watershed, Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council
Elk River Chain of Lakes Watershed, Michigan Department of Environmental Quality

v t e Northern Michigan
Central cities	Alpena Cadillac Charlevoix Gaylord Petoskey Traverse City
Counties	Alcona Alpena Antrim Arenac Benzie Charlevoix Cheboygan Clare Crawford Emmet Gladwin Grand Traverse Iosco Kalkaska Lake Leelanau Manistee Missaukee Montmorency Ogemaw Osceola Oscoda Otsego Presque Isle Roscommon Wexford
Geography	Au Sable River Cheboygan River Elk River watershed Grand Traverse Bay Houghton Lake Inland Waterway Leelanau Peninsula Lake Charlevoix Lake Huron Lake Michigan Little Traverse Bay Manistee River Straits of Mackinac Thunder Bay Walloon Lake
Transportation	BATA Charlevoix Municipal Airport Cherry Capital Airport Great Lakes Central Railroad Lake State Railway Mackinac Bridge Pellston Regional Airport SS Badger
Economy	Cherry production in Michigan East Jordan Iron Works Georgia-Pacific Holcim Lafarge Cement Michigan Limestone and Chemical Company Michigan wine USG Corporation Weyerhaeuser
Michigan Central Michigan Southeast Michigan Upper Peninsula West Michigan

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