LakeMacatawa.
Why people choose it
Lake Macatawa
Deep-water docks and the North Shore's coveted frontage.
- 01
Deep-water frontage suitable for larger boats, unusual on this coast.
- 02
The channel means Lake Michigan access without trailering.
- 03
North Shore properties trade rarely and often quietly.
- 04
Dock permits and riparian rights vary parcel by parcel.
Things to do
On and off the water.
Named places, not a mood board. Follow any of them through to the people who run it.
Lighthouse
01
Holland Harbor Light
Known locally as Big Red, standing at the channel into Lake Macatawa.
State park
02
Holland State Park
Separate Lake Michigan and Lake Macatawa units either side of the channel.
Beach
03
Tunnel Park
Twenty-two acres where a tunnel through a dune leads to the beach.
Dune
04
Mt. Pisgah
A stairway climbs the wooded dune above Ottawa Beach for lake views.
Boardwalk
05
Black Lake Boardwalk
Walkway along 2,400 feet of Lake Macatawa shoreline toward Mt. Pisgah.
Trail
06
Riley Trails
Three hundred acres of beech-maple forest with hiking and ski trails.
Museum
07
Ottawa Beach Pumphouse Museum
Built in 1901 to serve the Hotel Ottawa resort complex.
Hours, seasons and access change. Everything above links to the organization that runs it — check there before you drive out to Lake Macatawa.
By the numbers
The lake, measured.
The lake is not a municipality, so the figures below describe Park Township, which holds its north shore and the dune coast beyond it. That township is also where the strictest rules on this page live.
- Lake surface
1,780 acres
Drowned river mouth, on a watershed of 179 square miles
MDEQ TMDL, 1999 · Michigan EGLE
- Median home value
$393,200
Owner-occupied, Park Township
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · Census Reporter
- Population
18,901
Park Township, Ottawa County
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · Census Reporter
- Median household income
$110,402
Ottawa County is $90,502.
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · Census Reporter
- Lake Michigan frontage
~5.5 miles
North of the channel, with two public beaches, plus half a mile south
Park Township · Park Township
- Seasonal homes
820
Of 8,494 housing units in Park Township
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · Census Reporter
- Township established
1915
A general law township of about 20 square miles
Park Township · Park Township
- District enrollment
6,757
West Ottawa Public Schools, 13 schools
NCES 2024–25 · NCES
Owner-occupied homes by value
Park Township. Note the tail: 725 homes at a million and over, which is the shoreline showing up in the data.
- Under $200k1,005
- $200–300k1,281
- $300–500k2,581
- $500–750k1,020
- $750k–$1M431
- $1M and over725
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · Census Reporter
Median household income
The township against its county and its state.
- Park Township$110K
- Ottawa County$91K
- Michigan$73K
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · Census Reporter
On the map
The lake, end to end.
Lake Macatawa is the market, not just a lake. Its North Shore holds some of the most valuable frontage in West Michigan — deep water, private docks and a channel to Lake Michigan that makes a real boat practical rather than aspirational.
Water · Lake Macatawa
- County
- Ottawa
- Governed by
- Park and Holland townships
- Schools
- West Ottawa Public Schools
- Short-term rentals
- Not permitted in residential districts
Map unavailable
Interactive mapping is not configured on this build.
Open Lake Macatawa, Michigan in Google MapsPins mark the center of Lake Macatawa and any sample properties nearby. Approximate positions, not surveyed locations.
On the market
Lake Macatawa property.
SampleThe MLS feed is not connected yet. Everything below is demonstration data used to build the search, and none of it is a real property.
Before you buy
What to lookinto first.
Local conditions that change what a parcel is worth or what may be built on it. None of this is legal advice and none of it answers for a specific address — it is what to raise with the municipality, your attorney and your inspector before the offer, not after.
- 01Short-term rentals are not permitted
Park Township permits short-term rentals only in the C-2 Resort Commercial district. They are not a permitted use in any other district, including every residential zone, and there is no registration or licensing route. Litigation over the ban has run for several years. Treat rental income as unavailable unless the township confirms otherwise in writing.
Park Township- 02High risk erosion setbacks
EGLE designated high risk erosion areas in Park Township in November 1994 and publishes the affected parcels by number. The listed recession rate is 2.5 feet a year, giving a 30-year setback of 90 feet and a 60-year setback of 165 feet from the bluff. Non-moveable structures must sit behind the 60-year line, which can rule out rebuilding on an existing footprint.
Michigan EGLE- 03Critical dune area permits
Park Township appears in EGLE's Atlas of Critical Dunes, so Part 353 applies to much of the lakeshore. A permit is needed for a house or garage, a drive, a septic system, retaining walls or sand removal, with fees from $150 to $6,000 and 60 to 90 days of processing once an application is complete. EGLE completed a fresh delineation in 2026, so work from the current mapping rather than an older survey.
Michigan EGLE- 04Lake levels move a long way
The NOAA gauge at Holland recorded a monthly mean of 175.59 meters in January 2013 and 177.50 meters in June 2020 — a swing of about 6.3 feet in seven and a half years. High-water years drive bluff loss and take the beach away; low-water years leave docks short of navigable depth. Look at how a property performed at both extremes, not at today's shoreline.
NOAA Tides and Currents- 05Docks and shoreline structures need permits
Docks, boat lifts, seawalls, filling and dredging below the ordinary high-water mark require an EGLE permit under Part 325 for Great Lakes bottomlands, or Part 301 for inland waters. An existing structure is not proof that it was ever permitted. Ask for the permit file before assuming a dock, hoist or revetment can be kept, repaired or extended.
Michigan EGLE
Check it at the source
Zoning, permitted uses, shoreline rules and school boundaries are set by the governing bodies below and can change. These are the offices that answer for Lake Macatawa.