I’m about 20 minutes from Lake Michigan, so I’m sorta partial to it. But here in West Michigan, there are so many drownings in that lake that it really doesn’t seem very swimmable to me anymore. I’ll let my kids wade out, but we don’t swim there. It’s still a beautiful lake, and it gets my vote.
Except for the first three months of my life, I’ve always lived within 75 miles of the west coast of Lake Michigan. So, my choice is obvious, though admittedly biased.
I used to live literally on Lake Erie but learning how shallow it is compared to the others made me vote for Superior on account of its great depth. If Huron-Michigan were known geographically as one lake rather than two, then it would be harder due to their greater combined area.
What, no love for Lake St. Clair?
IMHO, there are four Great Lakes. Michigan-Huron, being at the same level, are one lake. There is no flow in the Straights of Mackinac. If one Googles “largest lake” you see that Michigan-Huron is larger than Superior.
By surface area, yes, but not by volume. Michigan-Huron about 2000 cubic miles of water. Superior by itself 2800.
Superior is BIG.
Bumper stickers around my neck of the woods say, “There is Only One Great Lake: Tahoe”
That’s my vote.
Follow the current; it goes east. This means all of the greatness in the other lakes flows into Lake Ontario, which is therefore objectively the greatest lake. It’s basic science, people.
Lake Superior holds the pee of everyone swimming in Superior. Michigan has the pee of both Michigan and Superior. By the time things flow to Ontario…let’s just say, I’d recommend swimming with your mouth closed tight.
Are you familiar with the lakes known as The Great Lakes in the US/Canada?
Several people seem not to be! 
There are many lovely lakes in North America. But only a few can be Great Lakes.
Michigan.
But while we’re here … this is a conversation my wife and I had on our way driving back from Binghamton, NY, to Chicago. Is there any naming convention as to why something is X Lake vs Lake X? What I mean is, we have Lake Michigan, and we have Lake Geneva here in the the Illinois/Wisconsin area, but we also have Crystal Lake and Devil’s Lake and stuff like that. It doesn’t seem like we get that sort of variety with seas, which are all X Sea, as far as I know, and oceans are Ocean X. Lakes go back and forth between both. I thought maybe it had to do with size, but Lake Michigan and Lake Geneva, certainly, are not on the same scale.
Someone actually did a study of this, and while there are patterns, it’s somewhat random. Of note:
- Lakes with a larger surface area are more likely to begin with Lake. There was no correlation to depth; I for some reason find it amusing that they think there would be. “What should we call this lake?” “I dunno, swim down to the bottom and see how deep it is.”
- There are geographical differences that seem to be correlated with the native language of the settlers, i.e., differences in the typical placement of adjectives before or after nouns.
I think you mean X Ocean rather than Ocean X.
Also, while “Sea X” is not an English way of expressing things, we do have several “Sea of X” constructions: Sea of Azov, Sea of Okhotsk, Sea of Cortez. Not sure where those come from.
I voted for Lake MIchigan, because I live on it, and have since 1957. But it’s trying to eat my house now (again!), so I’m a bit annoyed at it.
I love the winds off Lake St Clair. They go WHOOSH.
Like the OP, I’m fond of Lake Erie. It’s the nearest one to me, and is usually beautiful and blue.
Canadian waterways hardly ever catch fire. Which Great Lake is most Canadian? I’m guessing Michigan ain’t it.
Superior. It’s big, beautiful, and scary. Erie was scary until the zebra mussels cleaned it up. Superior is also the most Canadian lake because especially because of the black flies, endless miles of boreal forest, and critters. It’s wild, and it takes a certain amount of fortitude (insanity) to want to live on its shores.
I’ve lived in Chicago or a border suburb my whole life…except when I lived in Milwaukee so I’m obligated to vote Michigan.
I swam in Lake Michigan just last weekend and appear to have cheated death. Is the eastern shore a lot more dangerous?