Lake Saint Clair (North America)
Lake St. Clair (
French: Lac Sainte-Claire) is a
lake between
Ontario,
Canada and
Michigan in the
United States, located about 10 km (6 mi) northeast of
Detroit and
Windsor, Ontario. Approximately 1,114
km² (430
mi²) in area, the lake is part of the
Great Lakes system; however, due to its relatively small size, it is rarely if ever included in enumerations of the Great Lakes. The lake, along with the
St. Clair River and
Detroit River, provides the connection between
Lake Huron to the north and
Lake Erie to the south.
The lake is 42 km (26 mi) from north to south and 37 km (24 mi) from east to west. It is a very shallow lake with an average depth of about 10 feet (3 metres), and a maximum natural depth of 21 feet (6.4 metres), although it is 27 feet (8.2 metres) deep in the navigation channel which has been dredged for freighter passage. The lake is fed from Lake Huron at its north by the St. Clair River, which has an extensive
delta, the largest within the Great Lakes system. The
Thames River and
Sydenham River enter the lake from the east in
Southwestern Ontario, and the
Clinton River enters from Michigan on the west. The lake is drained on its southwest end into Lake Erie by the Detroit River.
The lake served as part of the extensive navigational system of the Great Lakes for
First Nations/
Native Americans. On
August 12,
1679 an expedition led by
René Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle named it
Lac Sainte-Claire as they discovered it on the
feast day of
Saint Clare of Assisi.
On the Michigan side, the southern portion of the lake shore is lined by the wealthy eastern suburbs of
Detroit, known as the
Grosse Pointe communities. Public access to the lake is highly restricted in this area, limited to private marinas and parks that are open only to residents of the specific community. Further north, in
Harrison Township, lies
Metro Beach, a popular public beach. Several
yacht clubs are located along this shore, including the
Grosse Pointe Yacht Club in
Grosse Pointe Shores and
Crescent Sail Yacht Club in
Grosse Pointe Farms, Michigan.
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Lakestclair.net*
World Lakes Database entry for Lake St. Clair (facts & figures)
