Tawas Lake
General data
- Name: Tawas Lake
- Water system: St. Lawrence River
- Water type: Natural lake
- Progression: Tawas River -> Lake Huron -> St. Clair River -> Lake St. Clair (North America) -> Detroit River -> Lake Erie -> Niagara River -> Lake Ontario -> St. Lawrence River -> Gulf of St. Lawrence -> Atlantic Ocean -> Planet Earth
- Climates: Continental
- Continents: North America
- Countries: United States of America
Tawas Lake is a natural, shallow, 1,600-acre lake in Iosco County, Michigan, renowned for its significant ecological value and as a local hotspot for fishing and birdwatching.
The lake is a vital ecosystem, often described as a "living laboratory" of a pristine Michigan shallow lake ecosystem. It hosts more than 40 species of aquatic plants and is home to the state's largest bed of native wild rice (manoomin), a culturally significant food for the Anishinaabe people. This rich vegetation attracts diverse wildlife, including bald eagles and state-threatened black terns.
The lake's only surface outflow is the Tawas River, which flows through East Tawas and Tawas City before emptying into Tawas Bay and then Lake Huron.