Great lakes in America

On the border between Canada and the United States there are five large lakes that dominate large territories and where the largest mass of fresh water on the planet is concentrated: Michigan, Superior, Ontario, Huron and Erie. Although they behave like closed seas, their waters are fresh and contain no less than a fifth of the Earth's reserves.

These five great lakes offer miles of beaches, cliffs, dunes, a multitude of lighthouses, islands that dot the coast and resort towns. It is not surprising that it is called "the third coast" as these lakes are the habitat of an extraordinary diversity of animal species. In addition, boats of all kinds sail through these huge stretches of fresh water and it is common for fishermen and kayak lovers to mix with sailboats, cargo steamers, tugboats, etc.

Visiting the five great lakes in America is a great idea for an adventurous vacation. If this is your case and you would like to visit them, then I will discover more about these wonders of nature.

Lake Michigan

Lake Michigan is one of the five great lakes in the United States but it is the only one that is completely within the country since the others are shared with Canada. It is surrounded by the states of Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana and Michigan, which is named after the lake itself.

This lake has an area of ​​57.750 square kilometers and a depth of 281 meters. It is considered the largest lake within a country and the fifth in the world. Its volume is 4.918 cubic km of water and Lake Michigan addresses many parks and beaches.

About 12 million people live on its shores, many of them in small tourist places that live off the possibilities that Lake Michigan offers. Spending the day visiting the lake is a good idea to enjoy nature outdoors, resting and disconnecting from the routine. A very fun plan is to get on board a ferry to cross the lake. Afterwards, nothing better than trying the local cuisine rich in salmon and trout.

On the shores of Lake Michigan, in the state of Illinois, is one of the most important cities in the United States: Chicago. Known as the Windy City, it is the third most populous city in the United States, after New York and Los Angeles.

It is a modern and cosmopolitan city that is home to more than 1.100 skyscrapers. Currently the tallest building is the Willis Tower (formerly called the Sears Tower), but in the 1920s it was the Wrigley Building, whose tower was designed after the Giralda in Seville.

Lake superior

This lake borders Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Michigan on the US side and Ontario on the Canadian side. The Ojibwe tribe called it Gichigami which means "big water" and it is the largest freshwater lake in the world. To give you an idea of ​​its impressive dimensions, Lake Superior could contain the volume of all the other Great Lakes and three more like Lake Erie. It is the deepest, largest, and coldest of the Great Lakes in the United States.

As a curiosity, the storms in Lake Superior produce record waves of more than 6 meters, but waves of more than 9 meters have been recorded. Amazing!

On the other hand, within this lake there are several islands of which the largest is the Royale Island in the state of Michigan. This in turn contains other lakes that contain islands. In any case, other famous large Lake Superior islands include Michipicoten Island in the province of Ontario and Madeline Island in the state of Wisconsin.

Lake Ontario

In contrast, the smallest lake in the Great Lakes in the United States is Lake Ontario. It is located further east than the rest of the lakes and belongs to both Canada and the United States: the northern part to the province of Ontario and the southern part to the state of New York.

As with Lake Superior, it also has several islands, the largest of which is Wolfer Island, located near Kingston at the entrance to the St. Lawrence River.

If we talk about the population centers that are articulated around Lake Ontario, we find that on the west bank of the Canadian side is the great conurbation called Golden Horseshoe that is home to about 9 million people and includes the cities of Hamilton and Toronto. On the American side, its coast is predominantly rural except for Rochester in Monroe County (New York).

Inland, about 30 kilometers away, we can find the city of Syracuse and it is connected to the lake by a canal. Approximately 2 million inhabitants live on the American side.

Lake Huron

Lake Huron is another of the Great Lakes in the United States, specifically in size it is the second largest of the five and the fourth largest on the planet. Bigger than all of Croatia! It is located between the United States and Canada, in the central area of ​​North America and is one of the most visited for its beautiful landscapes, especially by tourists.

Lake Huron is the place chosen by many Americans to spend their vacations. During the summer months, tours are organized around the surroundings to get to know the local nature and also some historical enclaves near Lake Huron, such as the Lighthouse. These tours allow visitors to learn a little more about the history of this space and get to know its natural treasures in detail.

In addition, there are also water activities such as kayaking or scuba diving. Even hiking through one of the thousands of islands that this lake has. When they are inaccessible, people are content to surround them like the famous Turnip, the most photogenic of them all with its white pine forest at the top.

As a curiosity, Lake Huron is full of islands, most of them are located in the north, within the border limits of Canada, being Manitoulin Island, the largest on the planet in a freshwater lake.

Lake erie

Lake Erie is the southernmost of the five Great Lakes in the United States and the shallowest. It is located on the border with Ontario in Canada and serves as borders with the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Michigan and New York on the US side.

Due to its size (it occupies about 25.700 square kilometers), it is considered the thirteenth natural lake in the world. Fully navigable, it has an elevation above sea level of 173 meters and an average depth of 19 meters; in this sense, it is the shallowest of the Great Lakes as a whole.

It was the last of the Great Lakes to be discovered and the French explorers who did so named it Lake Erie after a native tribe of the same name that inhabited the area.

As with the other lakes, there are many islands in Lake Erie as well. In total there are twenty-four, nine of which belong to Canada. Some of the larger islands are Kelleys Island, South Bass Island, or Johnson's Island.

As a curiosity, Lake Erie has its own microclimate, which makes this area fertile for growing fruits, vegetables and vines for making wine. Lake Erie is also popular for its Lake Effect blizzards that casts into the eastern suburbs of the city, from Shaker Heights to Buffalo. This occurs in late winter and early spring.