Spring Lake.
Why people choose it
Spring Lake
All-sports water connected to the big lake through the channel.
- 01
All-sports lake with a navigable connection to Lake Michigan.
- 02
Classic boathouses and generational lakefront holdings.
- 03
Grand Haven's beaches and downtown are minutes away.
- 04
Lake association and township rules differ — confirm both.
Things to do
On the water.
Named places, not a mood board. Follow any of them through to the people who run it.
Lake
01
Spring Lake
A drowned river mouth of 1,091 acres with more than 25 miles of shoreline.
Beach
02
Lakeside Beach
Sandy village beach with restrooms, shelters and an overlook deck.
Park
03
Tanglefoot Park
Grand River waterfront park with a pavilion, splash pad and transient docks.
Boat launch
04
Mill Point Park
Village park at the end of School Street with a boat launch and bandshell.
Trail
05
Lakeside Trail
Lit and plowed village path continuing into the 3.3-mile North Bank Trail.
Park
06
North Bank Park
Pickleball courts, ball fields, a dog park and winter skating.
Market
07
Spring Lake Farm & Garden Market
Thursdays at Tanglefoot Park, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., June through October.
Civic building
08
Barber School
Village building on West Exchange Street used for meetings and rentals.
Hours, seasons and access change. Everything above links to the organization that runs it — check there before you drive out to Spring Lake.
On the map
Lake to river to lake.
Spring Lake gives you all-sports water with a route to Lake Michigan through the Grand River channel — the combination most inland-lake buyers actually want. Classic boathouses and long-held family properties define the older shoreline.
Water · Spring Lake and the Grand River
- County
- Ottawa
- Water
- Spring Lake and the Grand River
- Jurisdictions
- Village and township, separately governed
- Schools
- Spring Lake Public Schools
Map unavailable
Interactive mapping is not configured on this build.
Open Spring Lake, Michigan in Google MapsPins mark the center of Spring Lake and any sample properties nearby. Approximate positions, not surveyed locations.
By the numbers
Spring Lake, measured.
A village of 2,500 inside a township of 15,500, on a drowned river mouth with more than 25 miles of shoreline. Which of the two you are buying in changes the rules.
- Village population
2,519
Village of Spring Lake, on 1.2 square miles
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · Census Reporter
- Township population
15,517
Spring Lake Township
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · Census Reporter
- Median home value
$359,200
Owner-occupied, township. The village is $320,200.
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · Census Reporter
- Median household income
$88,365
Village of Spring Lake
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · Census Reporter
- Lake surface
1,091 acres
85th largest lake in Michigan; mean depth about 18 feet
Spring Lake Board · Spring Lake Board
- Shoreline
25+ miles
Long and convoluted, with several shallow bayous
Spring Lake Board · Spring Lake Board
- Village platted
4 March 1869
First settlers arrived in the 1830s and 1840s
Village history · Village of Spring Lake
- District enrollment
2,275
Spring Lake Public Schools, six schools
NCES 2024–25 · NCES
Owner-occupied homes by value
Of about 1,083 owner-occupied homes in the village. A working middle, and a thin band of waterfront above it.
- 173
- 309
- 294
- 115
- 97
- 76
- 19
- <$200k
- $200–299k
- $300–399k
- $400–499k
- $500–749k
- $750–999k
- $1M+
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · Census Reporter
Median owner-occupied home value
The village against its metro and its state.
- Spring Lake village$320K
- Grand Rapids metro$285K
- Michigan$232K
ACS 2020–2024 5-year · Census Reporter
On the market
Spring Lake 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.
- 01Lake board special assessment
Spring Lake is managed by a lake board spanning Ottawa and Muskegon counties, funding invasive plant control and water quality work. The lake was treated with alum in 2005 and again in May 2025, and the board publishes a 2024–2033 program budget with annual assessment information. Ask the assessor whether the parcel falls inside the assessment district and what it pays.
Spring Lake Board- 02Village and township are separate
The Village of Spring Lake sits inside Spring Lake Township, and the two have separate boards, zoning and services. Village parcels also fall under a Downtown Development Authority and a Historic Conservation Commission, which reviews historic designations and issues a preservation construction permit. Check which jurisdiction an address is in before planning exterior work.
Village of Spring Lake- 03Dock and shoreline permits
Work on an inland lake or stream is regulated under Part 301, and applications go to EGLE's Water Resources Division. EGLE weighs whether a project affects the public trust or other riparian rights, and some work also gets federal review with the Army Corps of Engineers. Confirm what is already permitted before assuming a dock, seawall or dredging plan will be approved.
Michigan EGLE- 04Lake level follows Lake Michigan
Spring Lake rises and falls with Lake Michigan, and its shoreline is long and convoluted with several shallow bayous. Those bayous hold highly organic sediments that grow aquatic plants readily, and some were dredged for navigation. High-water years matter for seawalls, docks and low-bank lots.
Spring Lake Board- 05Ottawa County groundwater
A Michigan State University study commissioned by Ottawa County found declining water levels in the deep bedrock aquifer since 2013, and rising salt content in some areas. Properties outside municipal water draw from private wells. Ask about the well's depth, which aquifer it draws from, and recent testing.
Ottawa County
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 Spring Lake.