Benton Lake is a 33 acre lake located near Brohman, Michigan, in Newaygo County. The lake’s public access is about four miles west of M-37 on West Pierce Drive. The public access includes a Manistee National Forest campground as well as a covered picnic area, small beach, fishing dock, and boat launch.
I have been to Benton Lake a few times lately and it is always clean and calm. I did find out that there is a fee for using the park, which is $4 per day and can be paid for at a self-registration station when entering.
We went out to Benton Lake on Memorial Day weekend because it is not a popular area. The beach is not big enough to draw a large crowd and the surrounding towns are small (by the way, do not count on getting supplies near here—Brohman and Bitely both have only one very small grocery market each and not much else). We were happy with our choice and had the lake to ourselves for the whole, hot, cloudless day.
Outside of the picnic area are a few barbecue grills, which we used for lunch. There are multiple garbage receptacles available to make sure that the area is free of litter and there is plenty of room to accommodate multiple families. The only thing to consider is that there are not picnic tables by the grills, so you have to transport your food from the grills to the picnic pavilion. We would have done that, but feeling improvisational we decided to pull our chairs up around a large stump and created our own picnic table. You could do just fine with a sturdy plate and someone who watches where they walk!
The water in Benton Lake is not as clear as some other lakes that I have seen, like Lake Ann, but you do not notice the turbidity until you reach the deeper water (which is actually not very deep). In the shallow areas of the lake you can clearly see down four to five feet with no problems. This is how we spotted a few turtles and fish while we paddled. By far the best bit of wildlife that we noticed was a large bald eagle that swooped down to the far end of the lake and attempted to snatch something from the water.
All of these things make Benton Lake an enjoyable place to camp*, paddle, or picnic. The best parts are the mix of wildlife and the fact that the lake has no residences and is completely surrounded by national forest. Visit Benton Lake when you want the amenities and do not want too much company.
*Sorry I do not know anything about the campground. It is separate from the park area and I have not used their camp sites. If you have used it, tell me what you think!
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