Lake Living on Big Lake in Davisburg, MI — Everything You Need to Know

Big Lake in Davisburg, Michigan is one of Oakland County's hidden gems — a 215-acre all-sports lake tucked into the hardwoods of Springfield Township with a year-round community that treats the water like an extension of the living room. If you've ever wondered what lakefront life actually looks like in northern Oakland County, this is the comprehensive guide.

What kind of lake is Big Lake?

Big Lake is classified as an all-sports lake — meaning motorboats, jet skis, water skiing, and tubing are all permitted. At 215 acres, it's large enough to support serious recreation but compact enough to maintain a residential, intimate character. The maximum depth hovers around 14 feet, and the lake bottom is a mix of sand and softer substrate, which is typical for inland lakes in this part of Michigan.

The lake serves as the headwater of the Huron River system, and its waters support a healthy fish population. Anglers here target largemouth bass, bluegill, pike, and perch. In the early mornings before the boat traffic picks up, you'll find fishing boats working the weed lines and drop-offs along the shoreline. Kayakers and paddleboarders also favor the calm morning hours, when the lake surface is glass and the reflections are at their best.

For water sports enthusiasts, the lake provides enough open water for slalom skiing, wakeboarding, and tubing — the activities that make all-sports lakes so popular with families. Afternoons on Big Lake bring the pontoon crowd, the skiers, and the kids on inner tubes. It's a lake that earns its "all-sports" label every day from May through October.

The lake community atmosphere

One of Big Lake's defining qualities is its community feel. The lake community includes both year-round residents and seasonal homeowners who share a genuine affection for the water. Unlike larger, more commercialized lakes in the region, Big Lake maintains a residential character with no public marinas, no crowded access points, and no through-traffic of strangers. The people on the water are your neighbors.

Boat parades wind through the coves on summer weekends. Neighbors wave from their docks. Weekend mornings bring the particular sound of pontoon engines warming up, and evenings settle into the kind of golden-hour quiet that makes you forget you're less than an hour from downtown Detroit. There's a reason people who live on Big Lake tend to stay — the community has a gravity to it.

The Fourth of July tradition

Every July Fourth, Big Lake puts on a fireworks display that has become one of the lake community's most cherished traditions. The fireworks launch over the water, and the reflections double the spectacle across the lake surface. Properties with direct lake frontage — particularly those with wide shoreline views — get front-row seats to the show.

For families, this is the kind of tradition that anchors a lifetime of memories. Kids grow up watching the fireworks from the dock or the deck, and the holiday becomes inseparable from the lake itself. It's one of those details that doesn't show up in a listing description but ends up being the reason people choose to buy.

What's nearby: Clarkston, Pine Knob, and the commuter network

Lake living doesn't mean isolation. Big Lake sits in one of the most conveniently located lakefront corridors in Oakland County. Here's what's within a short drive:

Downtown Clarkston — About 12 minutes south, Clarkston's walkable Main Street features locally owned restaurants, breweries, and shops. Union Woodshop is known for its smoked barbecue; the Clarkston Union Bar & Kitchen is a gastropub staple. It's the kind of small-town downtown that makes errands feel like an outing.

Pine Knob Music Theatre — Roughly 10 minutes away, Pine Knob is one of Michigan's premier outdoor concert venues, hosting major touring acts from May through September. For lake community residents, it means catching a concert on a Saturday night and waking up to lake mist on Sunday morning.

Pine Knob Ski Resort — Just 12 minutes from the lake, Pine Knob offers 15 trails, 10 lifts, and 300 feet of vertical — a family-friendly ski hill that makes this one of the few lakefront locations where you can ski in the morning and boat in the afternoon during the shoulder seasons.

Commuter routes — I-75 via Dixie Highway is roughly 8 minutes away, putting Auburn Hills, Pontiac, and the broader metro Detroit corridor within easy reach. The Whitmore Lake and Hartland Road corridors provide everyday shopping and services. Downtown Fenton, with its breweries and antique shops, is about 20 minutes west.

Why 156 feet of frontage is increasingly rare

If you've been watching the Oakland County waterfront market for any length of time, you already know this: usable lake frontage is getting harder to find. Many of the lots on the area's most desirable lakes were platted decades ago in 75- to 100-foot parcels. As those properties have turned over, the remaining inventory has shrunk to the point where wide frontage lots — especially those on all-sports lakes — command premium attention.

At 156 feet, the frontage at 11820 Big Lake Rd is more than double what many waterfront parcels offer. That width translates into real lifestyle advantages: room for a dock and a boat lift, a patio area, potential beach space, and the kind of shoreline perspective that doesn't feel hemmed in by the neighbors. In a market where narrow lots can feel like a corridor to the water rather than a genuine waterfront experience, 156 feet is a meaningful differentiator.

The property sits on roughly three-quarters of an acre — a generously wooded lot with mature hardwoods and pines that provide privacy and a sense of being well removed from everything. In Oakland County, where development pressure continues to reshape available land, the combination of wide frontage, acreage, and an all-sports lake is increasingly difficult to assemble.

Year-round life on Big Lake

Summer is the obvious draw, but the lake community doesn't disappear when the temperatures drop. Fall brings the hardwood color change that makes the lake look like it was placed inside a painting — the mature maples, oaks, and pines surrounding the property erupt in amber and crimson by October. The lake quiets down as boats come out of the water, and the stillness takes over.

Winter offers its own appeal. Big Lake freezes solid enough for ice fishing, and the wooded lot feels like a private cabin setting. The proximity to Pine Knob means powder days are never far away. And spring arrives with the dock going back in, the first kayak session of the year, and the particular energy of a lake community waking up after the quiet season.

The property at 11820 Big Lake Rd

The home at 11820 Big Lake Rd is a waterfront contemporary — 5 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, approximately 2,810 square feet of living space — designed from the start to sit on a lakefront slope. It features a renovated kitchen with granite countertops and herringbone tile backsplash, vaulted great room with an A-frame window wall facing the lake, multi-level decks with built-in bench seating, and direct shoreline access via cement stairs.

The property has been fully disclosed and is priced at $499,000 — a price that reflects the home's current condition and the opportunity it represents. With 156 feet of frontage on a 215-acre all-sports lake, the value equation here is driven as much by the land and the lake as by the structure itself.

As someone who has spent decades helping buyers and sellers navigate the Oakland County market, I can tell you that the combination of wide frontage, all-sports access, and a price point under $500,000 is not something that comes along often. When it does, it doesn't last.