Lake Leelanau · North and South Lake · Leelanau County, MI
Lake Leelanau homes for sale
Every lakefront home and lot for sale on North and South Lake Leelanau, pulled from the MLS each week, plus a 3D map of the lake so you can see the water off each shoreline before you visit.
Listings updated October 5, 2026. Prices and status can change between updates, so ask us before you fall for one.
Lake Leelanau
Leelanau County · MI
This 3D lake model needs a browser with WebGL. Ask us about Lake Leelanau frontage and we’ll send you the depth map.
South Lake Leelanau’s bottom comes from the Michigan DNR lake survey, with the height exaggerated so the drop offs show. North Lake Leelanau has no digital depth survey yet, so it is shaded gray and marked with its published maximum depth. A guide, not a navigation chart.
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Homes and lots for sale on Lake Leelanau
Every active Lake Leelanau waterfront listing, homes first by price (highest first), then lots, with the basin each one sits on. Tap a photo to fly to it on the lake.
$4,950,000
5254 N Manitou Trail
Leland, MI 49654
6 bd · 3.5 ba · 3,693 sq ft
200 ft of private frontage · North Lake Leelanau · Built 1961
Listing courtesy of Schaub Team Premier Realty · MLS #1947196
Ask about this home →$2,580,000
407 N Twin Pines Drive
Lake Leelanau, MI 49653
4 bd · 2.5 ba · 3,390 sq ft
200 ft of private frontage · North Lake Leelanau · Built 1999
Listing courtesy of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices · MLS #1946817
Ask about this home →$1,850,000
7838 S Lakeview
Traverse City, MI 49684
4 bd · 3 ba · 1,707 sq ft
100 ft of private frontage · South Lake Leelanau · Built 1956
Listing courtesy of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices · MLS #1950784
Ask about this home →$1,750,000
345 N Twin Pines Drive
Lake Leelanau, MI 49653
3 bd · 3 ba · 2,285 sq ft
100 ft of private frontage · North Lake Leelanau · Built 2002
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Schmidt Traverse City · MLS #1946630
Ask about this home →$1,750,000
553 S Lake Shore Drive
Lake Leelanau, MI 49653
4 bd · 2.5 ba · 2,280 sq ft
100 ft of private frontage · The Narrows · Built 1965
Listing courtesy of RE/MAX Bayshore · MLS #1946402
Ask about this home →$999,000
4005 E Oxford Drive
Leland, MI 49654
4 bd · 2 ba · 2,335 sq ft
500 ft of shared frontage · North Lake Leelanau · Built 1979
Listing courtesy of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices · MLS #1950619
Ask about this home →$950,000
9850 S Perrins Landing Drive
Traverse City, MI 49684
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,447 sq ft
106 ft of private frontage · South Lake Leelanau · Built 2021
Listing courtesy of The Mitten Real Estate Group · MLS #1949956
Ask about this home →$849,900
5962 S Lake Leelanau Drive
Traverse City, MI 49684
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,434 sq ft
112 ft of private frontage · South Lake Leelanau · Built 1950
Listing courtesy of Coldwell Banker Schmidt, Suttons Bay · MLS #1946219
Ask about this home →$659,000
7651 Timberwoods Drive
Traverse City, MI 49684
4 bd · 3.5 ba · 2,440 sq ft
800 ft of shared frontage · South Lake Leelanau
Listing courtesy of Real Estate One · MLS #1948274
Ask about this home →$880,000
N Sunset Shores Drive
Lake Leelanau, MI 49653
Vacant lot · 0.70 acres
100 ft of private frontage · North Lake Leelanau
Listing courtesy of Schaub Team Premier Realty · MLS #1948037
Ask about this lot →$800,000
1777 S Lake Shore Drive
Lake Leelanau, MI 49653
Vacant lot · 1.40 acres
202 ft of private frontage · South Lake Leelanau
Listing courtesy of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices · MLS #1924689
Ask about this lot →$689,900
509 S Lake Shore Drive
Lake Leelanau, MI 49653
Vacant lot · 2.53 acres
264 ft of private frontage · The Narrows
Listing courtesy of Schaub Team Premier Realty · MLS #1949948
Ask about this lot →$250,000
6785 Fouch Road
Traverse City, MI 49684
Vacant lot · 2.69 acres
147 ft of private frontage · South Lake Leelanau
Listing courtesy of Home Port Network · MLS #1907958
Ask about this lot →Living on Lake Leelanau
Lake Leelanau is really two lakes: deep, clear North Lake and longer, shallower South Lake, joined at the Narrows in the village of Lake Leelanau.
North Lake runs up toward Leland, with steeper shorelines and cold, deep water. South Lake stretches about eight miles toward Cedar and the south end, with more gradual shorelines and warmer water in summer. Most buyers have a clear favorite once they see both.
The lake level is set by a county court order and held a little higher from April 15 to November 15, then lowered about a foot for winter. That matters for dock depth on shallow shorelines, which is one more reason to look at the 3D map.
Lake Leelanau real estate runs from older cottages near the Narrows to large newer homes on North Lake, plus a few lakefront lots for building. Frontage is listed as private or shared, and every card above says which one it is and which basin it sits on.
Size
About 8,600 acres and 16 miles long, with roughly 41 miles of shoreline.
Depth
North Lake up to about 121 feet. South Lake up to 62 feet, about 24 feet on average.
The Narrows
A slow, no wake channel at the village of Lake Leelanau that connects the two basins by boat.
Outlet
The Leland River runs a short way past Fishtown to Lake Michigan. The dam there blocks boat traffic.
Lake association
The Lake Leelanau Lake Association has monitored water quality for about 40 years and runs milfoil, boat wash and swimmer’s itch programs.
Narrows launch
A DNR ramp just south of M-204 in the village of Lake Leelanau that reaches both basins.
Bingham launch
A DNR site on the east shore of South Lake off County Road 641.
Leelanau West launch
A DNR site on the west shore of South Lake, south of Hohnke Road.
Leland River launch
Above the dam in Leland, for getting onto North Lake from town.
Getting on the water
If you buy off the water or on shared frontage, you still have several public launches, including one at the Narrows that gets you into either basin. Go slow through the Narrows: it is a no wake zone and the lake association asks boaters not to tow tubes through it.
Fishing is good in both basins. The DNR rates South Lake’s walleye as self sustaining after stocking ended in 2001, with smallmouth bass, perch and pike too, and North Lake’s deep, cold water holds lake trout.
Buying on Lake Leelanau: what to know
Septic inspection at sale
Leelanau County requires a septic inspection at sale or transfer for homes on septic. 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
Rules change by township, and some cap the number of permits. We check the ordinance for the exact address.
North or South Lake
North Lake is deeper, clearer and closer to Leland. South Lake is longer and warmer, with more gradual shorelines. Spend time on both.
Winter lake level
The lake is lowered about a foot each winter, so check dock and lift depth at a shallow shoreline in spring.
Buying a lake lot
Before you buy to build, confirm the soils will take a septic system and check the shoreline setback with the township.
Lake Leelanau questions
How deep is Lake Leelanau?
North Lake Leelanau is the deep basin, at up to about 121 feet. South Lake Leelanau is shallower, at up to 62 feet, with an average around 24 feet. The 3D map shows the surveyed South Lake bottom; North Lake has no digital survey yet.
How big is Lake Leelanau?
About 8,600 acres and roughly 16 miles long, with about 41 miles of shoreline. North Lake is about 2,900 acres and South Lake about 5,700 acres. They meet at the Narrows in the village of Lake Leelanau.
Can you boat from Lake Leelanau to Lake Michigan?
No. The lake drains through the short Leland River past Fishtown, and the dam there blocks boats. There are launches on both sides of the dam.
Where is public access on Lake Leelanau?
The Michigan DNR runs boat launches at the Narrows just south of M-204, which reaches both basins, on the east shore of South Lake off County Road 641 near Bingham, and on the west shore of South Lake south of Hohnke Road. There is also a launch on the Leland River above the dam.
What fish are in Lake Leelanau?
The DNR’s South Lake survey found good numbers of walleye, smallmouth bass, yellow perch, northern pike and rock bass, and the walleye now sustain themselves without stocking. The Lake Leelanau Lake Association lists lake trout among the most common fish in deeper North Lake.
Do Leelanau County homes need a septic inspection to sell?
Yes. Leelanau County adopted a time of transfer rule in 2022, and since the health code took effect in January 2023 homes on a septic system need an inspection at sale or transfer, done through the Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department. Homes on village sewer are handled differently, so check the specific address.
Can I rent a Lake Leelanau home short term?
It depends on the township. Bingham Township caps short term rental permits and Suttons Bay Township issues a limited number each year, while other townships have their own rules. Ask us to pull the current ordinance for the exact address before you buy.
Looking on Lake Leelanau?
Lake Leelanau homes often sell to people who heard about them first. We are Traverse City Realtors who work Leelanau County lakes every week. Tell us your budget, which end of the lake you like and whether you need private frontage, and we will send you new Lake Leelanau waterfront 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 South Lake Leelanau fishery report, Lake Leelanau Lake Association, Leelanau Ticker on the county septic ordinance. Depth map from Michigan DNR Institute for Fisheries Research lake contours (South Lake). Shoreline: OpenStreetMap contributors. Imagery: USGS. Elevation: Mapzen / AWS Terrain Tiles.