How Long Would it Take To Swim Lake Michigan?
If you have ever wondered this question, I'm here to help try and answer it. Lake Michigan is probably our most famous lake, not only because our state shares the name, but because it's the only Great Lake entirely in America. Lake Michigan is the second-largest Great Lake by volume and the third-largest by surface area. Have you ever wondered how long it would take to swim across it? And did you know it actually has been done already?
Here are some quick facts. The minimum amount of distance you would have to swim whether you started in Michigan or Wisconsin is 91 miles, with the max width being 118 miles. If you wanted to swim an even farther distance, you can swim the length of the lake and the maximum you'd have to go would be 307 miles.
After seeing some of these stats are you up for challenge? Well, don't answer yet cause it's not easy at all to swim across Lake Michigan. Several people have tried to swim across but have been stopped due to weather or because of the tides. Some swimmers end up in Indiana instead of Illinois or Wisconsin. One guy has managed, however, to swim across Lake Michigan and several other lakes.
Jim Dreyer is the guy that swam across Lake Michigan several times. First he went the width of the lake, which is a distance of 65 miles. This took him 40 hours and 56 minutes, and he was swimming the southern part of the Lake. He also swam the length of Lake Michigan, which is 422 miles. He didn't do it all at one time but over several days. Dreyer is also one of the only people to swim across the northern part of Lake Michigan, which is the more treacherous part. He went from Rawley Point Lighthouse in Point Beach State Forest near Two Rivers, WI and came ashore near Big Sable Point, MI in about 41 hours. Dreyer is an avid swimmer and also marathon man, and it took him nearly an hour to go one mile on the water. If you are thinking about trying to accomplish this feat just know you will probably be swimming for about 60 hours or more straight, so be ready. You can see more about Dreyer and his swim feats here.