Bear Lake
Manistee County, Michigan1,873 acresView mapDirections
Not Rated: one monitoring station are on record, but they measured water clarity only. LakeQuality’s A–F method grades total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity; clarity is shown, not scored.
- Public access
- Limited data
Bear Lake in Manistee County, Michigan is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Surface area: 1873.3 acres.
- Clarity
- 11 ft
- Area
- 1,873 acres
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
- Public access
- Yes
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Watch Bear Lake’s letter
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Free interactive depth-contour map of Bear Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 6 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Why Bear Lake has no grade
Bear Lake has monitoring on record from one station, but only water clarity was measured. LakeQuality’s A–F letter uses total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity against EPA National Lakes Assessment condition classes. With none of those grading measurements on record, Bear Lake is Not Rated — not an F. Its 11-foot median from 115 readings collected 2016–2022 is still shown as clarity, but clarity alone cannot earn a letter.
Not Rated is EPA Integrated Reporting Category 3 — insufficient information. Everything below that has been measured is still reported on this page.
Sampling is run by EGLE and volunteer programs, and published through the EPA Water Quality Portal. Read the full grading methodology.
Bear Lake is a 1,873-acre lake in Manistee County, Michigan. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 14 documented fish species including Blacknose shiner, Blackstripe topminnow, and Bluntnose minnow. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-11. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
What Bear Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing14 species recorded
- Big water1,873 acres
Swimming Safety
Not ratedLimited data
The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Water quality measurements for Bear Lake
These readings exist but are not enough for an A–F grade — see why.
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft. TSI 43.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 11 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | No recent samples | |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 43 | Mesotrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Surface Area | 1,873 acres |
| Public Access | Yes |
The available depth estimate for Bear Lake is shallower than its measured water clarity, which cannot be right, so no depth is shown.
Recreation & Access
- Bear LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fish Species
Click a species to see every graded lake where it is documented.
Fishing Bear Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 8 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +0.522 m/yr | 8 |
| Phosphorus | ↓ Declining | +0.23 µg/L/yr | 7 |
| Chlorophyll-a | ↑ Improving | -0.26 µg/L/yr | 7 |
Graded lakes near Bear Lake
Bear Lake has no grade, but these lakes within a short drive do.
Nearby Lakes in Manistee County
Frequently asked questions about Bear Lake
Where is Bear Lake?
- Bear Lake is a lake in Manistee County, Michigan. LakeQuality has not rated this lake (UNRATED) — the only measurement available is water clarity, which is not a water-quality indicator on its own — EPA's National Lakes Assessment does not grade clarity.
What is the water quality grade for Bear Lake?
- Bear Lake in Manistee County, Michigan is not rated for water quality — its monitoring record does not meet the evidence bar. Water clarity: 11 ft visibility. Surface area: 1873.3 acres.
Is Bear Lake safe to swim in?
- The letter is not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Bear Lake?
- The available depth estimate for Bear Lake is shallower than its measured water clarity, which cannot be right, so no depth is shown. The lake covers 1873.3 acres.
What fish are in Bear Lake?
- Fish species found in Bear Lake include Blacknose shiner, Blackstripe topminnow, Bluntnose minnow, Golden shiner, Grass pickerel, Iowa darter, Lake herring, Largemouth bass, Least darter, Mimic shiner, Rock bass, Smallmouth bass, White sucker, Yellow perch. Bear Lake is located in Manistee County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Bear Lake?
- Bear Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Bear Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Explore Bear Lake across LakeQuality
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Planning a trip around Sleeping Bear Dunes?
Bear Lake is about 35 miles from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Sleeping Bear Dunes →More Michigan Lake Rankings
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Where this data comes from
115 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS115 samples · 2016–2022
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory