Intermediate Lake

Appropriately named, Intermediate Lake is situated approximately in the middle of the Elk River Chain of Lakes, which is a series of 14 lakes and interconnecting waterways that eventually flows out into East Grand Traverse Bay. Intermediate Lake is a long, sinuous lake located between Hanley Lake (upstream) and Lake Bellaire (downstream) and connected to both via the Intermediate River. The lake has 19 inlet tributaries, including the Intermediate River, Fisk Creek, and Openo Creek. The largest island in the Chain of Lakes is located in the southern portion of Intermediate Lake, one of only two islands in the entire Chain.

The town of Central Lake is located at the lake’s north end and in fact, Intermediate Lake was at one time known as Central Lake. Although the north end of Intermediate Lake has a lot of residential development, a large expanse of coniferous forested wetland exists at the southern end of the lake. Most of the near-shore bottom of Intermediate Lake is sand or gravelly sand, with a few rocky areas and some muck. Muskgrass (Chara), native watermilfoils, and pondweeds are common aquatic plants found in the lake.

Intermediate Lake is popular for all sorts of recreational activities including fishing, boating, and swimming. It is also popular because the lakes of the Upper Chain of Lakes, including Hanley, Ben-Way, Wilson, Ellsworth, St. Clair, and Six Mile, can be travelled to by boat using Intermediate Lake as a starting point. However, the Lower Chain of Lakes (Bellaire, Clam, Torch, Elk, and Skegemog) cannot be accessed by boat from Intermediate Lake because of the dam on the Intermediate River in Bellaire. Fish that have been reported through various Department of Natural Resources surveys include walleye, bluegill, logperch, yellow perch, large- and smallmouth bass, pumpkinseed, longnose gar, white sucker, rock bass, whitefish, cisco, muskellunge, northern pike, rainbow trout, lake trout, brown trout, and sunfish.