2014 Map of Houghton Lake

About this map

Houghton Lake dominates this northern Michigan landscape, with its western shoreline revealing a complex hydrologic network of marshes and managed waterways. North of Nellsville, the Houghton Lake Flats Flooding and Dead Stream Flooding areas illustrate the significant role of wetland management in this region, while the Muskegon River flows out from the western marshes. The settlement patterns are concentrated along the lake's edge, particularly at Houghton Lake Heights and the community of Houghton Lake, where a dense grid of residential streets like Maple St and Beech St meets the water near Houghton Point. To the south, the landscape transitions into more scattered developments such as Loxley, while the Houghton Lake State Airport and Roscommon Township Cemetery serve as essential local landmarks. This survey captures the area at a time when the economy and geography were firmly centered on the recreational and natural resources of Michigan's largest inland lake.