Description:
Hanley Lake is a small, narrow lake situated in the middle of the Elk River Chain of Lakes, which is a chain of 14 interconnected lakes draining into East Grand Traverse Bay. It is connected to Ben–Way Lake upstream via the Green River and its major outlet on the south end drains to Intermediate Lake.
Like other long, slender lakes in the Upper Chain, Hanley’s deepest spot (27 feet) is near its outlet. This is most likely because the ‘upstream’ ends of the lakes have gradually filled in with sediment from the connecting inlet rivers.
Hanley Lake is unique among the Chain of Lakes in that its flushing rate (the amount of time it takes to move the entire volume of water through the lake) is only 5 days, which is the fastest among all lakes in the Chain. This is amazing, because the volume of water in Hanley Lake at any given time is 322 million gallons. In comparison, it takes 173 days to flush all the water through Intermediate Lake, and 6.9 years for Torch Lake.
The village of Central Lake is located at the south end of the lake near the outlet. The closest public access point is in the village of Central Lake, which is located on the north end of Intermediate Lake.
Are you an angler? These species of fish have been identified during Michigan Department of Natural Resources surveys of the lake: muskellunge; northern pike; rock bass; yellow perch; black crappie; bluegill; largemouth bass; longear sunfish; black, yellow, and brown bullhead; blackchin and common shiners; bluntnose minnow; johnny darter; longnose gar; white sucker; and walleye.
Monitoring and Research:
Hanley Lake is monitored every three years through the Watershed Council’s Comprehensive Water Quality Monitoring (CWQM) Program for dissolved oxygen, specific conductivity, pH, nitrate-nitrogen, total nitrogen, total phosphorus, and chloride levels.
Hanley is NOT currently monitored through the Watershed Council’s Volunteer Lake Monitoring (VLM) Program. If you are interested in becoming a volunteer, contact the Watershed Council at 231-347-1181.
The Elk River Chain of Lakes Watershed Plan Implementation Team meets regularly and is working to protect the lakes in the Chain.
Additional Resources:
See additional resources on our Aquavist page.
A wide variety of maps for this area are available online at the Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI) Data Resources page.
Information about Threatened, Endangered, and Special Concern species in this lake’s watershed is available on the Michigan Natural Features Inventory (MNFI) website.
Shoreline Survey:
Elk River Chain of Lakes Shoreline Survey
Project Summary During the summers of 2016 and 2017, the Tip of the Mitt Watershed Council led a coordinated effort to conduct a shoreline survey for 15 Lakes in the Elk River Chain of Lakes Watershed. The surveys were meant to document conditions that could impact water quality, including the
