Metro Detroit Oakland County City
Walled Lake
A lakeside small town with amusement park memories, a sandy beach and the Air Line Trail
- People (2025 estimate)
- 7,320
- Land area
- 2.2 sq mi · 5.7 km²
- From downtown
- 26.0 miles · 42 km · northwest
Nothing on our calendar here this week yet.
01 / Why it matters
Why Walled Lake matters
Walled Lake sits on the lake it's named for, just north of Novi and east of Wixom. Tradition says Walter Hewitt named the lake in 1825 for a strange, wall-like stretch of shoreline, perhaps built by the Potawatomi who lived here before.
In the first half of the 20th century the lake was one of metro Detroit's favorite getaways. On the south shore, in what is now Novi, the Walled Lake Casino dance hall opened in 1923, where a young Stevie Wonder once played, and an amusement park followed in 1929. The wooden casino burned on Christmas Day 1965, and the park closed in 1968.
Today Walled Lake is a quiet lakeside town. You can swim at the sandy Mercer Beach, and downtown's Riley Park holds the Foster Farmhouse, built in 1833, which local tradition counts as a stop on the Underground Railroad, the escape route for people fleeing slavery. The Michigan Air Line Trail runs along the old rail line toward Wixom and Commerce.
02 / Known for
What Walled Lake is known for
The Walled Lake amusement park (1929 to 1968) and casino (1923 to 1965) on the south shore, now Novi's Pavilion Shore Park
The 1833 Foster Farmhouse, saved from demolition and moved to Riley Park in 1997
The Michigan Air Line Trail, built on a 19th-century railroad meant to run as straight as possible between Toronto and Chicago, completed in 2023
03 / What’s on
What’s on in Walled Lake
Nothing on our calendar in Walled Lake right now. Try the neighbors:
04 / Places
1 places on our site in Walled Lake
05 / What to do
If you’re in Walled Lake
Mercer Beach
A city beach on East Walled Lake Drive with 200 feet of sand; no lifeguard, no boats and no pets.
Official site ↗Riley Park és a Foster-farmház
A downtown park on Common Street with a playground and gazebo, home to the 1833 Foster Farmhouse, moved here in 1997.
Official site ↗Michigan Air Line Trail
A rail-trail of more than seven miles through Commerce, Walled Lake and Wixom, designated a Pure Michigan Trail in 2026.
Official site ↗
06 / History
Walled Lake through the years
- 1825
Walter Hewitt settles by the lake and, tradition says, gives it the name Walled Lake.
- 1833
The Foster Farmhouse is built; local tradition counts it as a stop on the Underground Railroad.
- 1929
Next to the 1923 casino, the Walled Lake amusement park opens on Memorial Day.
- 1965
The all-wood Walled Lake Casino burns down on Christmas Day.
- 1968
Outcompeted by Edgewater Park and Boblo Island, the amusement park closes after 39 years.
- 1997
The Foster Farmhouse, slated for demolition, is moved to Riley Park downtown.
07 / People
Famous names from here
- Dax Shepard actor and podcaster who grew up mostly in Walled Lake and graduated from Walled Lake Central High School in 1993
Sources
Population and area are Census Bureau figures (Walled Lake city).
- 2020 Census, Michigan (PL 94-171)
- Census Bureau population estimates: cities and towns
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walled_Lake,_Michigan
- cityofnovi.org/parks/parks-and-recreation-facilities/parks-list/pavilion-shore-park
- walledlakelibrary.org/local_history/foster/underground_rr.html
- walledlake.us/Riley%20Park.pdf
- miairlinetrail.com/ourtrail
- miairlinetrail.com
- walledlake.us/Mercer%20Beach.pdf
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dax_Shepard
- walledlake.us
Change since 2020, per the Census Bureau estimate: +1.2 percent.
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