Crystal Lake · Beulah · Benzie County, MI
Crystal Lake homes for sale
Every lakefront home and lot for sale on Crystal Lake near Beulah, Benzonia and Frankfort, pulled from the MLS each week, plus a 3D map of the lake bottom so you can see the water off each shoreline.
Listings updated October 5, 2026. Prices and status can change between updates, so ask us before you fall for one.
Crystal Lake
Benzie County · MI
This 3D lake model needs a browser with WebGL. Ask us about Crystal Lake frontage and we’ll send you the depth map.
The lake bottom comes from the Michigan DNR lake survey, whose deepest contour is 175 feet; the DNR’s current fishery report puts the deepest point at about 165 feet. Height is exaggerated so the drop offs show. A guide, not a navigation chart.
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New Crystal Lake listings, sent to your inbox the moment they hit the MLS, price drops included. We set it up for you and you can stop it anytime.
Good waterfront can sell in days, so hearing first matters.
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Homes and lots for sale on Crystal Lake
Every active Crystal Lake waterfront listing, homes first, highest price first, then lots. Tap a photo to fly to it on the lake.
$1,495,000
4336 Crystal Drive
Beulah, MI 49617
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,423 sq ft
88 ft of private frontage · Built 2023
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Schmidt-Benzie · MLS #1951062
Ask about this home →$1,450,000
7542 Crystal Drive
Beulah, MI 49617
3 bd · 3 ba · 2,115 sq ft
50 ft of private frontage · Built 1923
Listing courtesy of Real Estate One · MLS #1950511
Ask about this home →$1,200,000
4354 Crystal Drive
Beulah, MI 49617
2 bd · 1.5 ba · 1,147 sq ft
44 ft of private frontage · Built 1969
Listing courtesy of Real Estate One · MLS #1946846
Ask about this home →$650,000
406 Fortune Avenue
Frankfort, MI 49635
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,500 sq ft
1000 ft of shared frontage · Built 1930
Listing courtesy of Vaughan Realty · MLS #1945470
Ask about this home →$537,500
4238 Mollineaux Road
Frankfort, MI 49635
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,615 sq ft
300 ft of shared frontage · Built 1950
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Schmidt-Benzie · MLS #1949309
Ask about this home →$400,000
407 Fortune Avenue
Frankfort, MI 49635
2 bd · 1 ba · 1,000 sq ft
1000 ft of shared frontage · Built 1920
Listing courtesy of Vaughan Realty · MLS #1945488
Ask about this home →$390,000
4477 Mollineaux Road
Frankfort, MI 49635
3 bd · 1 ba · 1,180 sq ft
20 ft of shared frontage · Built 1980
Listing courtesy of Real Estate One · MLS #1951076
Ask about this home →$690,000
000 Woodsmere Road
Frankfort, MI 49635
Vacant lot · 0.90 acres
100 ft of shared frontage
Listing courtesy of Century 21 Northland · MLS #1949659
Ask about this lot →$280,000
Lot 20 Amarelle Lane
Beulah, MI 49617
Vacant lot · 1.26 acres
508 ft of shared frontage
Listing courtesy of Century 21 Northland-Frankfort · MLS #1949860
Ask about this lot →$220,000
Arbutus Lane
Beulah, MI 49617
Vacant lot · 1.20 acres
295 ft of shared frontage
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Schmidt Traverse City · MLS #1939152
Ask about this lot →Living on Crystal Lake
Crystal Lake runs about 8 miles west from Beulah toward Frankfort and Lake Michigan, with high wooded hills on both sides.
Crystal Lake is big, deep and clear, with a sand and marl bottom. Because it lies east to west, the wind off Lake Michigan runs its full length, and it was first called Cap Lake for the whitecaps.
When the lake dropped in 1873 it uncovered the wide sandy beaches that ring it today. Most shorelines have a shallow sandy shelf before the bottom drops away, which you can see on the 3D map.
Crystal Lake real estate runs from older cottages to large newer homes and buildable lots. Frontage is listed as private or shared, and every card above says which one it is.
Size
About 9,854 acres, 8 miles long and 2.5 miles wide, with about 21 miles of shoreline.
Depth
About 165 feet at the deepest by the DNR, averaging about 70.
Outlet
A small outlet stream on the south shore feeds the Betsie River, which reaches Lake Michigan at Frankfort.
Lake association
The Crystal Lake and Watershed Association runs water quality sampling and the boat wash at the DNR launch.
Communities
Beulah at the east end, Benzonia just south, and Frankfort and Elberta to the southwest, in Benzonia, Crystal Lake and Lake townships.
DNR launch
Four ramps and a boat wash off Mollineaux Road on the south shore, just east of Railroad Point.
Beulah
A two ramp launch, a fishing pier and the public beach at the east end.
Lobb Road and Nichols Road
Small launches on the south and north shores with parking for a few trailers.
Railroad Point Natural Area
About 200 acres and more than 3,000 feet of undeveloped shoreline, owned by Benzie County.
Getting on the water
Crystal Lake is a big all sports lake with room for sailing, swimming and long paddles along the shallow sand shelf. The wind can build whitecaps quickly, so watch the forecast on a small boat.
Fishing leans cold water: stocked lake trout and rainbow trout, plus whitefish, cisco and yellow perch, with a busy perch fishery through the ice.
Buying on Crystal Lake: what to know
Septic inspection at sale
Benzie County requires a septic inspection at sale or transfer. We get it scheduled early, because the report can change a deal.
Private or shared frontage
Shared frontage usually means an association lot and dock rules. Ask for the association documents before you write an offer.
Short term rentals
Lake Township and Crystal Lake Township both require a license and cap the number issued. We check the current ordinance for the exact address.
Which end of the lake
Beulah puts you near town and the public beach. The west end is closer to Frankfort and Lake Michigan. Drive both before you decide.
Buying a lake lot
Before you buy to build, confirm the soils will take a septic system and check the township shoreline setback.
Lake level
The level is set by court order and dropped about six inches for winter, so plan your dock and boat lift for both.
Crystal Lake questions
How deep is Crystal Lake?
The Michigan DNR puts the deepest point at about 165 feet, with an average depth of about 70 feet. The older survey contours on our map run to 175 feet, so treat any single number as approximate.
How big is Crystal Lake?
About 9,854 acres, the ninth largest inland lake in Michigan. It runs about 8 miles east to west and 2.5 miles across, with about 21 miles of shoreline.
Why was Crystal Lake lowered in 1873?
A local businessman, Archibald Jones, tried to open a steamboat route from Lake Michigan up the Betsie River. When crews cut into the Crystal Lake outlet, the water carved it open and the lake dropped about 20 feet over roughly two weeks. It lost about a quarter of its area, and the drop uncovered the wide sandy beaches the lake has today, including the public beach at Beulah.
Where does Crystal Lake drain?
Out the south shore through a small outlet stream into the Betsie River, then to Betsie Bay and Lake Michigan at Frankfort. A dam on the outlet, run by the Benzie County Drain Commissioner, holds a court set level, about six inches lower in winter to protect docks and shoreline from ice.
Where is public access on Crystal Lake?
The main DNR launch is on the south shore off Mollineaux Road, just east of Railroad Point, with four ramps and a boat wash station. Beulah has a two ramp launch and a fishing pier at the east end, and there are small launches at the ends of Lobb Road on the south shore and Nichols Road on the north shore.
What fish are in Crystal Lake?
It is a designated trout lake. The DNR stocks lake trout and rainbow trout, and the lake also holds yellow perch, whitefish, cisco, smelt and coho salmon. Perch are the main catch through the ice.
Do Crystal Lake homes need a septic inspection to sell?
Yes. Benzie County has required a septic inspection at sale or transfer since the early 1990s, done through the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department. We get it scheduled early, because the report can change a deal.
Can I rent out a Crystal Lake home short term?
It depends on the township. Lake Township and Crystal Lake Township both require a short term rental license and limit how many they issue, and other townships around the lake set their own rules. We check the current ordinance for the exact address.
Looking on Crystal Lake?
Most of the Crystal Lake shoreline is privately owned, so good homes and lots often sell to people who were already watching. We are Traverse City Realtors who work Benzie County. Tell us your budget and which end of the lake you like, Beulah or the Frankfort side, and we will send you new listings as soon as they hit the MLS.
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.
Lake facts: Michigan DNR Crystal Lake fishery report, Crystal Lake and Watershed Association, Wikipedia, Leelanau Ticker on the Benzie and Leelanau septic rules, Crystal Lake Township short term rentals, Lake Township short term rental ordinance. Depth map from Michigan DNR Institute for Fisheries Research lake contours. Imagery: USGS. Elevation: Mapzen / AWS Terrain Tiles.