Bear Lake
Kalkaska County, Michigan313 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Bear Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 50 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Bear Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 30 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 50 ft. Surface area: 312.9 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Bear Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 50 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Bear Lake is a 313-acre lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 50 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 4 documented fish species including Rock bass, Smallmouth bass, and White sucker. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2023-06-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Bear Lake covers about 310 acres in Kalkaska County. It has one public boat landing. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Bear Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Bear Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water30 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing4 species recorded
- Deep water50 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Bear Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Bear Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Bear Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 30 ft down. TSI 28.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 30ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 28 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Bear Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
50 ft
Surface area
313 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Bear LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Bear Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Bear Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Bear Lake
Prices for Oct 23–25, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Follow Bear Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Bear Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2016–2023).
Water clarity
Improving7 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.4 µg/L/yr7 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.09 µg/L/yr7 years
Nearby Lakes in Kalkaska County
Frequently asked questions about Bear Lake
Where is Bear Lake?
- Bear Lake is a lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Bear Lake?
- Bear Lake in Kalkaska County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 30 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 50 ft. Surface area: 312.9 acres.
Is Bear Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Bear Lake?
- Bear Lake has a maximum depth of 50 feet. The lake covers 312.9 acres.
What fish are in Bear Lake?
- Fish species found in Bear Lake include Rock bass, Smallmouth bass, White sucker, Yellow perch. Bear Lake is located in Kalkaska 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.
Can I fish at Bear Lake?
- Bear Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Michigan's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Bear Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
86 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2016–2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS86 samples · 2016–2023
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory