An Upper Peninsula summer trip wouldn’t be complete without visiting Lake Superior’s cool, deep blue waters — the coldest, deepest and largest-by-volume of the Great Lakes.
Boasting Pictured Rocks boat tours, dozens of lighthouses, famous shipwrecks and a national park, Lake Superior is the coldest and northernmost of the Great Lakes. The quintet also includes Lake Erie, Lake Huron, Lake Michigan and Lake Ontario.
“Not only is Lake Superior the largest of the Great Lakes, it also has the largest surface area of any freshwater lake in the world. It contains almost 3,000 cubic miles of water, an amount that could fill all the other Great Lakes plus three additional Lake Eries,” the Great Lakes Commission says.
Here’s what to know about Michigan’s northernmost Great Lake.
How cold is Lake Superior?
While the Great Lakes Commission says Lake Superior is the coldest of the Great Lakes, temperatures change. Lake Superior is experiencing a warming trend, marking it among the fastest-warming lakes worldwide, according to GLISA, a collaborative between Michigan State University and University of Michigan supported by NOAA.
Temperature observations across the lake on May 6 range as low as 30 degrees Fahrenheit. Most observations were in the mid- to upper 30s.
The lake has a reputation for being so cold that bacteria can’t grow, so instead of floating, corpses sink and, as the Gordon Lightfoot song suggests, the lake never gives up its dead.
How deep is Lake Superior?
Lake Superior has an average depth of about 500 feet, and a maximum depth of 1,332 feet, according to the Great Lakes Commission.
How wide is Lake Superior?
Lake Superior’s maximum width is 160 miles, Lake Superior Circle Tour notes.
How long is Lake Superior?
Lake Superior is 350 miles long at maximum, according to Lake Superior Circle Tour.
Where is Lake Superior?
Lake Superior borders Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to the south, along with the nearby states of Wisconsin and Minnesota to the west, and the province of Ontario, Canada, to the north.
What is the origin of the name Lake Superior?
French settlers named the lake Le Lac Superior meaning the upper lake, in the 17th century, Pure Michigan said.
What is the lake’s Indigenous name?
The lake’s Ojibwe name is Kitchigami, meaning great lake, the National Park Service said.
What are some major Lake Superior shipwrecks?
The Edmund Fitzgerald sank on Nov. 10, 1975, taking with it the entire crew. The shipwreck occurred not far from Whitefish Point, during a fierce November storm on Lake Superior. The late singer Gordon Lightfoot immortalized the ship’s fatal struggle in a song that continues to get airplay.
Hundreds of other ships went down on the lake, including the Benjamin Noble, which disappeared on Lake Superior during a severe storm on April 27, 1914, according to the Minnesota Historical Society. The entire crew died in the wreck.
How many lighthouses are on Lake Superior?
Lake Superior’s dozens of lighthouses include more than 30 in Michigan, Pure Michigan said. There are seven in Minnesota and seven in Wisconsin, according to Lake Superior Circle Tour. In Canada, there are 32, Lake Superior Magazine reported.
Among the best known in Michigan are the Copper Harbor light, the Eagle Harbor light both in the Keweenaw, Whitefish Point, Crisp Point, the Marquette light, Big Bay and Au Sable Light Station.
Does Lake Superior have any national parks?
Isle Royale National Park, among the nation’s least-visited national parks, is a remote island chain in the middle of Lake Superior.
“Wolves and moose, the wild north woods forest, ever-changing weather and a cool climate, and the crystal clear waters and rugged shoreline of Lake Superior characterize Isle Royale National Park,” Pure Michigan says.
The lake also is bordered by Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore — not a national park, but operated by the National Park Service.
Wisconsin is home to the Apostle Islands National Lakeshore.
This story has been updated to correct the location of the Apostle Islands.
Contact Jenna Prestininzi: jprestininzi@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: How deep is Lake Superior? 10 facts about coldest Great Lake
Reporting by Jenna Prestininzi, USA TODAY NETWORK / Detroit Free Press
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