Cathead Bay · Leelanau Township, MI
Cathead Bay homes for sale
Lake Michigan frontage homes and lots for sale near the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula, from Gills Pier up past Cathead Bay to Leelanau State Park and the Grand Traverse Lighthouse, pulled from the MLS each week, with a 3D map of the lake floor offshore.
Listings updated October 8, 2026. Prices and status can change between updates, so ask us before you fall for one.
Cathead Bay
Leelanau County · Lake Michigan
This 3D lake model needs a browser with WebGL. Ask us about Cathead Bay frontage and we’ll send you the depth map.
The lake floor comes from NOAA Great Lakes bathymetry, with the height exaggerated so the drop offs show. Close to shore the data is coarse, so small shoals and sandbars may not appear. The deepest water on this map is about 480 feet, out in the open lake. A guide, not a navigation chart.
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Homes and lots for sale near Cathead Bay
Every active Lake Michigan frontage listing near the tip of the peninsula, homes first, highest price first, then lots. These also appear on our Leelanau Lake Michigan page. Tap a photo to fly to it on the map.
$4,200,000
13515 N Cathead West
Northport, MI 49670
3 bd · 2.5 ba · 5,346 sq ft
200 ft of private frontage · Built 1988
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Schmidt Traverse City · MLS #1948812
Ask about this home →$1,200,000
13700 N Forest Beach Shores
Leland, MI 49654
3 bd · 3 ba · 1,980 sq ft
62 ft of private frontage · Built 1999
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Schmidt-Leland · MLS #1950257
Ask about this home →$1,095,000
12271 N Island View Drive
Northport, MI 49670
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,716 sq ft
4157 ft of shared frontage · Built 2008
Listing courtesy of Five Star Real Estate · MLS #1946470
Ask about this home →$985,000
14619 N Cathead Bay Drive
Northport, MI 49670
2 bd · 1 ba · 550 sq ft
100 ft of private frontage · Built 1960
Listing courtesy of Net Real Estate · MLS #1938988
Ask about this home →$495,000
13057 N Cherrywood Court
Northport, MI 49670
3 bd · 2 ba · 2,464 sq ft
800 ft of shared frontage · Built 1998
Listing courtesy of Net Real Estate · MLS #1950343
Ask about this home →$2,100,000
N Cathead West
Northport, MI 49670
Vacant lot · 10.40 acres
200 ft of private frontage
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Schmidt-Leland · MLS #1945765
Ask about this lot →$849,000
12281 N Island View Drive
Northport, MI 49670
Vacant lot · 2.20 acres
4000 ft of shared frontage
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Schmidt-Leland · MLS #1951036
Ask about this lot →$145,000
Lot 40 N Shores Court
Northport, MI 49670
Vacant lot · 0.91 acres
4000 ft of shared frontage
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Schmidt Traverse City · MLS #1949564
Ask about this lot →Living near Cathead Bay
This is the end of the road on the Leelanau Peninsula, with Lake Michigan on one side, Grand Traverse Bay on the other and a lighthouse at the tip.
Cathead Bay curves along the Lake Michigan side, just south of the tip. Head south down the shore and you reach Gills Pier, and the Leland area beyond. The village of Northport, with a 2020 population of 496, sits on the bay side about eight miles south of the state park, and Traverse City is about 34 miles away by M-22.
Much of the land here is Leelanau State Park, which covers more than 1,550 acres. About 900 of those acres are set aside as the Cathead Bay Natural Area, with open and forested dunes. Private frontage is on the stretches between park land, so it does not come up for sale often.
All of these listings also appear on our Leelanau Lake Michigan page, which covers the whole shore from the tip down to Empire.
State park
More than 1,550 acres in two sections, the tip and the Cathead Bay trails a few miles south.
Trails
8.5 miles of hiking and cross country ski trails through dunes and woods.
Shoreline
The park holds 2.25 miles of Lake Michigan shore, much of it cobble beach, plus a sandy beach at Cathead Bay.
Wildlife
The park shore is protected nesting habitat for the piping plover, a threatened shorebird.
Leelanau Township
About 1,552 people at the 2020 census, Northport included.
Grand Traverse Lighthouse
Built in 1858, automated in 1972 and a museum since 1987. Climb the tower for the view.
Lighthouse Keeper Program
Visitors can stay at the lighthouse for a week and volunteer with the museum.
Rustic campground
51 sites and three mini cabins at the tip, with water and vault toilets.
Cathead Bay beach
A sandy Lake Michigan beach reached by the Lake Michigan Trail from the southern unit.
Getting outside
The northern unit of the park, with the day use area, lighthouse and campground, covers the whole tip of the peninsula. The trailhead for the Cathead Bay trails is about 4 miles south by car, on a separate piece of park land.
This is open Great Lakes water. Wind builds real waves at the tip, and boating plans depend on the forecast.
Buying near Cathead Bay: what to know
Well and septic at sale
Leelanau County requires a well and septic evaluation through the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department before a property with onsite systems changes hands. We get it scheduled early.
Dunes and erosion areas
We check whether a parcel falls in a state critical dune area, where building or regrading needs an EGLE permit, or in a high risk erosion area, which carries setbacks.
Next to the state park
Some lots border park land, which can mean quiet woods next door and trail users nearby. Check the boundary on the survey.
Bluff, low bank or cobble
Beaches here range from sand to cobble. Walk the frontage, count the stairs and ask how they held up at high water.
Water levels
Lake Michigan went from a record low in 2013 to record highs in 2020. Picture the beach, stairs and setbacks at both.
Year round or seasonal
The tip is quiet in winter and a long drive to town. Ask about road maintenance, internet and winter access before you write an offer.
Cathead Bay questions
Where is Cathead Bay?
Cathead Bay is on the Lake Michigan side of the Leelanau Peninsula, just south of the tip, in Leelanau Township north of Northport. Leelanau State Park holds much of the land around it, and the Grand Traverse Lighthouse stands at the tip. The village of Northport itself sits on the Grand Traverse Bay side.
What is in Leelanau State Park?
The Michigan DNR says the park covers more than 1,550 acres along Lake Michigan in two sections a few miles apart. The northern unit at the tip has the day use area, the lighthouse and a rustic campground. The southern unit has the Cathead Bay trails and a sandy beach reached by the Lake Michigan Trail. The DNR management plan counts 8.5 miles of hiking and cross country ski trails.
Can you camp at the tip of the peninsula?
Yes. Leelanau State Park has a rustic campground with 51 sites and three mini cabins, according to the DNR management plan. Rustic means water spigots and vault toilets, not electric hookups and showers.
How old is the Grand Traverse Lighthouse?
The present lighthouse was built in 1858. The Coast Guard kept it running until 1972, when an automated beacon on a steel tower took over. A local foundation formed in 1985, and the station reopened as a museum on Memorial Day in 1987. You can walk through the keeper’s dwelling and climb the tower.
How deep is Lake Michigan off Cathead Bay?
On our map, the deepest water is about 480 feet, out in the open lake. Lake Michigan as a whole averages 279 feet deep, according to the EPA. Our map is coarse near shore, so use a real chart for boating.
How much does the water level change?
A lot over the years. Lake Michigan and Lake Huron hit a record low in January 2013, then rose about 5.5 feet in seven years and set monthly record highs in 2020. Beaches, bluffs and stairs can look very different at high and low water.
Do homes here need a well and septic inspection to sell?
Yes. The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department requires properties in Leelanau County with an onsite well or septic system to be evaluated before the property is sold or transferred. We get it scheduled early so it does not hold up closing.
Looking on Cathead Bay?
Lake Michigan frontage near the tip of the Leelanau Peninsula does not come up often, because so much of the shore here is state park. We are Traverse City Realtors who sell all over Leelanau County. Tell us your budget and what kind of frontage you want, and we will send you new listings as soon as they hit the MLS. Looking farther south too? Our Leelanau Lake Michigan page covers the whole shore, from Northport to Empire.
More lakes near Traverse City
Listing information comes from Northern Great Lakes REALTORS® MLS and is refreshed weekly. Homes listed by other brokerages are shown with the listing office’s name. Information is deemed reliable but not guaranteed and should be verified. Janel Brown and Taylor Brown, Real Estate One, Traverse City.
Area facts: Leelanau State Park (Michigan DNR), Leelanau State Park general management plan, appendices (Michigan DNR), Grand Traverse Lighthouse Museum history, Northport, Michigan on Wikipedia, Leelanau Township, Michigan on Wikipedia, EPA physical features of the Great Lakes, LEVELnews, March 2020 (Environment and Climate Change Canada), EGLE critical dune areas, EGLE high risk erosion areas, Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department time of transfer. Depth map from NOAA NCEI Great Lakes bathymetry. Imagery: USGS. Elevation: Mapzen / AWS Terrain Tiles.