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The Lake Effect: The Experience The Great Lakes offer outstanding tourism and
Great Lakes states rank in the nation’s top ten
recreation opportunities, ranging from pristine
in total number. The commercial and sport
wilderness activities in national parks such as
fishing industry is collectively valued at more
Isle Royale and Pukaskwa to waterfront beaches
than $4 billion annually. Diving on shipwrecks
in major cities. A well-defined four-seasons
is a growing Great Lakes sport, thanks to many
climate supports many types of recreation
underwater preserves and parks throughout
from ice fishing, skiing and snowmobiling in the
he lakes. Off Lake Superior’s Whitefish Point,
winter to golf, fishing, boating and swimming
better known to sailors as the “graveyard of
in the summer. The eight Great Lakes states
the Great Lakes.”2
have about 3.7 million registered recreational boats, or about a third of the nation’s total. Michigan and Minnesota lead the nation in the number of boat registrations, and six
Left : View of Lake Huron at sunset . 16