Carp Lake is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Emmet County in the U.S. state of Michigan.

It was founded by Octave Terrian and later became a station on the Grand Rapids and Indiana Railroad in 1880.

The community is in the eastern part of Carp Lake Township.

Petoskey, the Emmet County seat, is 28 miles (45 km) south on US 31.

The community of Carp Lake was listed as a newly-organized census-designated place for the 2010 census, meaning it now has officially defined boundaries and population statistics for the first time.