Big Platte · Little Platte · Honor, MI
Platte Lake homes for sale
Every lakefront home and lot for sale on Big Platte Lake and Little Platte Lake near Honor and Beulah, pulled from the MLS each week, plus a 3D map of both lake bottoms 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.
Platte Lake
Big & Little Platte · Benzie County, MI
This 3D lake model needs a browser with WebGL. Ask us about Platte Lake frontage and we’ll send you the depth map.
The lake bottoms come from the Michigan DNR lake survey, whose deepest contour on Big Platte is 90 feet; Little Platte tops out around 8. Height is exaggerated so the drop offs show. A guide, not a navigation chart.
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Homes for sale on Platte Lake and Little Platte
Every active Big Platte and Little Platte waterfront listing, homes first, highest price first, then lots. Tap a photo to fly to it on the lake.
$575,000
8485 Bay Point Road
Beulah, MI 49617
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,194 sq ft
25 ft of private frontage · Platte Lake · Built 1930
Listing courtesy of Stapleton Realty · MLS #1950535
Ask about this home →$469,900
8643 Deadstream Road
Honor, MI 49640
3 bd · 2 ba · 1,273 sq ft
133 ft of private frontage · Platte Lake · Built 1995
Listing courtesy of Stapleton Realty · MLS #1950807
Ask about this home →Living on Platte Lake
Platte Lake sits on the Platte River a few miles from Lake Michigan, with Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore just to the north.
Big Platte is the second largest lake in the Platte River watershed, after Long Lake at the headwaters. It is a deep lake with a lot of shallow shelf: about a third of it is under 15 feet, and the nearshore bottom is mostly sand with long gravel shoals.
Little Platte is a different lake: wide, shallow and quiet, joined to the Platte River by the North Branch, which locals call the Deadstream. It is a good fit if you want calm water for paddling and fishing.
The Big Platte shoreline is lined with homes and cottages, except the southeast shore where the river comes in. Frontage is listed as private or shared, and every card above says which one it is.
Size
Big Platte is about 2,516 acres. Little Platte adds about 805 acres.
Depth
Big Platte reaches about 90 feet, averaging about 25. Little Platte is about 8 feet at its deepest.
River
The Platte River runs through Big Platte, then through Loon Lake to Lake Michigan at Platte Bay.
Lake associations
The Platte Lake Improvement Association, formed in 1978, and the Little Platte Lake Association.
Communities
Honor and Beulah are the nearby towns, with Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore next door.
Big Platte DNR access
A boating access site on the northwest shore, off M-22 and County Road 706, with trailer parking and restrooms.
Little Platte ramp
A public concrete ramp on West Cove.
Down the river
Below Big Platte the river runs about a mile to Loon Lake, then about two miles to Lake Michigan at Platte Bay.
Getting on the water
Big Platte is a large, open lake for boating and swimming. Little Platte is calmer and better suited to kayaks and small boats.
Fishing is a big part of life here. The DNR’s 2024 survey found walleye, smallmouth and largemouth bass, northern pike and yellow perch, and salmon run up the Platte River each fall, past a DNR weir on the lower river.
Buying on Platte Lake: what to know
Well and septic at sale
Benzie 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.
Water quality history
Platte Lake clouded with algae from hatchery phosphorus starting in the late 1960s. A 2000 consent agreement and hatchery upgrades cut that phosphorus, and the lake is clear again.
Short term rentals
Rules are set by township and change. We check the current ordinance for the exact address.
Big Platte or Little Platte
Big Platte is deep and open. Little Platte is shallow and quiet. Spend time on both before you decide.
Depth off the dock
Some shorelines drop off fast and some stay shallow for a long way. Use the 3D map, then look in person.
Zebra mussels
The DNR found zebra mussels through much of Big Platte in 2024. Plan on water shoes and check boat lifts and intakes.
Platte Lake questions
How deep is Platte Lake?
Big Platte reaches about 90 feet, with an average depth of about 25 feet, and about a third of the lake is shallower than 15 feet. Little Platte is shallow, about 8 feet at its deepest on the DNR survey.
How big is Platte Lake?
Big Platte is about 2,516 acres, roughly 3.3 miles long and 1.6 miles wide. Little Platte adds about 805 acres.
Where does Platte Lake drain?
The Platte River flows in on the southeast shore and out the northwest shore, through Loon Lake and on about two miles to Lake Michigan at Platte Bay. There is no dam controlling the level of Big Platte. Little Platte drains into the North Branch of the Platte River, which joins the river just above the lake.
What happened with the water quality on Platte Lake?
After salmon were brought to the Platte River in the late 1960s, phosphorus from the state fish hatchery upstream in Honor fed algae and clouded the lake. The Platte Lake Improvement Association pushed for decades, and a 2000 consent agreement with the state limited the hatchery’s phosphorus. The hatchery was upgraded and the lake cleared up.
Where is public access on Platte Lake?
Big Platte has a Michigan DNR boating access site on the northwest shore, reached from M-22 and County Road 706. Little Platte has its own public ramp on West Cove.
What fish are in Platte Lake?
The DNR’s 2024 survey found walleye, smallmouth and largemouth bass, northern pike, yellow perch and plenty of rock bass. Salmon and steelhead pass through on the Platte River, and bowfishing for longnose gar is popular.
Is there a lake association?
Yes. The Platte Lake Improvement Association, formed in 1978, works on water quality and the health of the lake. Little Platte has its own Little Platte Lake Association.
Do Platte Lake homes need a well and septic inspection to sell?
Yes. The Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department requires properties in Benzie 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 Platte Lake?
Platte Lake homes often sell to people who have been watching the lake for years. We are Traverse City Realtors who work Benzie County every week. Tell us your budget and whether you want big, deep Platte or quiet, shallow Little Platte, 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 Platte Lake report (2026), Michigan Public, Circle of Blue, Benzie Conservation District, Big Platte and Little Platte access sites, Benzie-Leelanau District Health Department time of transfer. Depth map from Michigan DNR Institute for Fisheries Research lake contours. Imagery: USGS. Elevation: Mapzen / AWS Terrain Tiles.