A hidden gem on Bass Lake

A small summer community

45 homes on a real lake in West Michigan, somebody’s summer place since 1950. Some homes sit right on the water. Most people never find it.

Season: A summer community, open for the summer season
Homes: For sale by request: the list and asking prices come by email
Price: A home here sold for $46,900 in April 2025, with lot rent on top (public MLS record; history, not today’s price)
Directions: By email, with a time to visit

Send a note to see the homes for sale.

Send a note hello@sideolakemhc.com

A note gets you directions and the current list of homes for sale. No application, no fee, no pressure.

45 homes, small on purpose. One lake of about 184 acres. About 17 minutes to Greenville and 45 to 50 minutes north of Grand Rapids.

Home count: MHVillage directory. Lake size: Lake-Link. Drive times are approximate, by road.

Six species, one lake

What’s biting in Bass Lake

About 184 acres of all-sports lake, around 20 feet at the deepest. Six species on the list, and a public boat launch on the lake to put a boat in.

Walleyelow-light feeders
Northern pikelong and toothy
Largemouth bassweed edges and cover
Hybrid striped basswhite bass crossed with striper
Black crappiepapermouths, in schools
Bluegillthe classic panfish

Species listed for Bass Lake by Lake-Link. Depth and size from the same page. Boat launch per the Michigan DNR, Bass Lake Boat Launch listing.

Check current Michigan DNR fishing regulations before you wet a line.

Two real sales, one lake

Lake-house life, not the lake-house price

Two real sales on the same 184-acre lake. The Side O’ Lake home sold for about a sixth of what the cottage did.

$277,000

A cottage on Bass Lake with its own 47 ft of frontage. 2 bedrooms, 703 sq ft.Sold August 2026. Source: public MLS sale record.

$46,900

A home at Side O’ Lake, listed as waterfront. 1 bedroom, 840 sq ft.Sold April 2025. Source: public MLS sale record.

Same water: The same all-sports lake, the same walleye and pike, the same public boat launch.
A different deal: Here you own the home and rent the ground under it, so a monthly lot rent comes on top. Ask for the current amount and what it covers.
Today’s homes: Homes for sale change over the summer. The current list and asking prices come by email.

Both figures are past sales, shown as history. They are not today’s prices or an offer of any home. The homes differ in size, and the cottage price includes the land under it. What each price buys, line by line.

From the guestbook

Summer days, hour by hour

Roughly how a day on Bass Lake goes, from flat water at first light to a porch light after dark.

First light
Flat water and a line out for bluegill and crappie before anyone else is up.
Morning
Coffee run and groceries in Greenville, about 17 minutes away.Approximate drive time by road.
Midday
It’s an all-sports lake, so the ski rope and the tube come out.Lake-Link lists Bass Lake as all-sports.
Afternoon
Bikes on the Fred Meijer White Pine Trail: 92 paved miles, with trailheads in nearby Cedar Springs and Sand Lake.Michigan DNR; fully paved as of spring 2025.
Evening
Walleye and pike for whoever stays out past supper.
After dark
Forty-five homes, one lake, and a porch light.

In plain terms

Buying a home here

Homes at Side O’ Lake sit on rented ground: you buy the home, and pay a monthly lot rent for the site. Every buyer is approved by the community before the sale closes. That’s separate from any loan approval.

Next to a cottage with its own frontage, a summer here costs a fraction of the price, with a monthly lot rent on top. Here is what a summer on Bass Lake costs, side by side.

How buying here works Paying for a home Guides

How to find a hidden gem

You won’t find Side O’ Lake with a map pin, and that’s on purpose. It’s 45 homes tucked on Bass Lake, the way it has been since 1950, and most people never find it. So we do it the old way: you write, and we write back with how to get here.

Email hello@sideolakemhc.com, or send the note below.
Tell us what you’re after: a home for sale, bringing a home, or just a look.
The manager writes back with the way in and a time that works.
You drive up, walk the homes for sale, and see the lake for yourself.

Address

Side O’ Lake
Bass Lake, West Michigan
no street address on this card, on purpose
Directions by email: hello@sideolakemhc.com

Write in, and the manager tells you the rest.

Reply card

Send a note back.

Leave a first name, an email and a phone number. The manager writes back with the homes for sale and how to find the place.

Rather use your own email?

hello@sideolakemhc.com