Belleville Lake

The home of the University of Michigan rowing team is Belleville Lake, a site the Wolverines have used since the team's inaugural varsity season in 1996-97. The six-mile-long lake is considered one of the best rowing lakes in the country. The Wolverines' varsity and novice teams both practice and compete at the scenic lake.

In the summer of 2000, the University of Michigan completed construction of a state-of-the-art, 6,000-square-foot boathouse in Van Buren Park which gives the Wolverines one of the finest competition and training facilities in the country. The $1.2 million facility houses coaches' offices, a video room and a training room as well as two large bays and a wet-well.

The vast 1,220-acre Belleville Lake is known for its picturesque morning sunrises as well as scenic photographic opportunities from the shoreline or the water. The 101-acre Van Buren Park, part of Wayne County's Van Buren Township, is nestled in the northwestern point of the lake, just off Rawsonville Road and south of Interstate-94 to the east of Ann Arbor. The lake and surrounding parks are used for recreational boating, fishing and hiking throughout the year.

Boathouse Directions

Take I-94 to Rawsonville Road (Exit 187). At the end of the exit ramp, go south on Rawsonville Road (right from I-94 eastbound, left from I-94 westbound). At the first light on Rawsonville Road (there is a Tim Horton's on left corner), turn left onto the I-94 Service Road. Follow the Service Road approximately 1/2 mile to entrance of Van Buren park, which is on the right just past the shopping center. Turn right into park. Follow the road all the way through park to the boathouse, approximately 1 mile. The boathouse is on the peninsula at the bottom of the hill, just beyond the old boathouse. Parking is located at the top of the hill.

• U-M Women's Rowing

Last updated: Wednesday, 18-Apr-2001 21:27:21 EDT