Big Bear Lake
Otsego County, Michigan344 acresView mapDirections
EGLE publishes the water-quality measurements for Big Bear Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 36 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Big Bear Lake in Otsego County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 36 ft. Surface area: 343.5 acres.
Free interactive depth-contour map of Big Bear Lake, reaching a maximum surveyed depth of 36 ft. Toggle Depth contours to overlay the bathymetric survey lines. Contour data from Michigan DNR.
Big Bear Lake is a 344-acre lake in Otsego County, Michigan with a maximum depth of 36 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 3 documented fish species including Bluntnose minnow, Largemouth bass, and Yellow perch. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, EGLE, last sampled 2022-09-02. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Big Bear Lake covers about 340 acres in Otsego County. It has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Big Bear Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Big Bear Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water15.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing3 species recorded
- Deep water36 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 Big 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 Big Bear Lake
These are the measurements EGLE publishes for Big 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 15.5 ft down. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 15.5ft | 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. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Big Bear Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
36 ft
Surface area
344 acres
Public access
Yes
Listed by EGLE
Recreation & Access
- Big 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 Big Bear Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Big Bear Lake in Otsego 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 Big Bear Lake
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Follow Big Bear Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Big Bear Lake
Water quality readings over time
3 seasons of samples on record (2019–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Worsening2 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+0.57 µg/L/yr3 years
Nearby Lakes in Otsego County
Frequently asked questions about Big Bear Lake
Where is Big Bear Lake?
- Big Bear Lake is a lake in Otsego County, Michigan. Its water-quality measurements are published by EGLE and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Big Bear Lake?
- Big Bear Lake in Otsego County, Michigan has water-quality measurements published by EGLE, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 15.5 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 36 ft. Surface area: 343.5 acres.
Is Big Bear Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Big Bear Lake?
- Big Bear Lake has a maximum depth of 36 feet. The lake covers 343.5 acres.
What fish are in Big Bear Lake?
- Fish species found in Big Bear Lake include Bluntnose minnow, Largemouth bass, Yellow perch. Big Bear Lake is located in Otsego County, Michigan.
Are there boat ramps on Big Bear Lake?
- Big Bear Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Big Bear Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Big Bear Lake?
- Big 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 Big Bear Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
16 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2019–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-26.
Collected and reported by
- North American Lake Management Society
NALMS16 samples · 2019–2022
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