Lake Michigan

Introduction

Lake Michigan is the only one of the North American Great Lakes entirely within the United States, and the most magnificent natural backdrop of the Windy City, Chicago. Covering 58,000 square kilometers, it is vast as a sea, with no far shore in sight, the water-and-sky unity often making first-time visitors feel they stand at an ocean edge. Chicago 26-mile lakefront park greenway extends along the western shore, binding city to water, with Navy Pier, North Avenue Beach, and Montrose Beach among the most beloved waterfronts. Summer beaches bustle with swimming, sailing, kayaking, and volleyball, while the lakefront trail is a paradise for runners and cyclists. Chicago skyline is stunning against the lake, especially viewed from Navy Pier or from a Chicago Architecture Foundation boat cruise, the skyscrapers rising like a crystal forest, hailed as America most beautiful skyline. In winter, partial ice and snow-wrapped city form a serene northern tableau. Lake Michigan is not only Chicago natural air conditioner, its waters moderating the city temperature, but the very soul of the city.

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