Michigan has 21 lakes named Bear Lake of 10 acres or more, in 18 counties. The largest is in Manistee County (1,873 acres); the deepest measured, in Bear Lake Township, Kalkaska County (50 ft). 5 have been stocked by the DNR and 3 have a public launch.
How they differ: The clearest is in Bear Lake Township, Kalkaska County, about 23 ft of visibility in the 2023 satellite estimate; the most recently stocked is in Manistee County (30 Jun 2026); public launches are listed on the ones in Manistee County, Bear Lake Township, Kalkaska County and Hillsdale County; the other 18 have no public access site in the DNR list; 2 have a full page here with a depth map, linked below.
Circles sized by area and shaded by deepest measured point. Michigan DNR lake polygons and depth surveys.
Largest first. The nearest town is the closest place in the Census list to the middle of the lake.
| Lake | Near | Acres | Deepest | Clarity | Stockings | Launches |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bear LakeManistee County, Pleasanton Township | at Bear Lake | 1,873 | 6 ft | 13 ft | 26 times, last 2026 | 2 |
| Bear LakeMuskegon County, North Muskegon | at North Muskegon | 399 | about 30 ft (est.) | 4 ft | ||
| Bear LakeBear Lake Township, Kalkaska County, Bear Lake Township | 12 mi east of Kalkaska | 313 | 50 ft | 23 ft | 107 times, last 2026 | 1 |
| Bear LakeCalhoun County, Pennfield Township | 6 mi northeast of Springfield | 114 | about 25 ft (est.) | |||
| Bear LakeHillsdale County, Cambria Township | 4 mi northeast of Reading | 105 | 50 ft | 12 ft | 36 times, last 2025 | 1 |
| Bear LakeHoughton County, Hancock Township | 7 mi north of Hancock | 99 | 4 ft | 4 ft | ||
| Bear LakeWhitefish Township, Chippewa County, Whitefish Township | 28 mi northeast of Newberry | 87 | ||||
| Bear LakeClare County, Surrey Township | 6 mi northwest of Farwell | 85 | about 40 ft (est.) | 11 ft | ||
| Bear LakeBear Lake Township, Kalkaska County, Bear Lake Township | 10 mi northwest of Grayling | 44 | about 15 ft (est.) | 1 ft | ||
| Bear LakeMissaukee County, Enterprise Township | 15 mi west of Roscommon | 38 | about 20 ft (est.) | 2 ft | ||
| Bear LakeCrawford County, Maple Forest Township | 10 mi northeast of Grayling | 32 | 15 ft | 9 ft | ||
| Bear LakeMarquette County, Ishpeming Township | 18 mi north of Negaunee | 31 | ||||
| Bear LakeDelta County, Garden Township | 14 mi northwest of Manistique | 30 | 30 ft | 9 ft | 56 times, last 2024 | |
| Bear LakeAlcona County, Alcona Township | 8 mi northwest of Lincoln | 17 | 8 ft | 8 ft | 4 times, last 2014 | |
| Bear LakeFoster Township, Ogemaw County, Foster Township | 8 mi west of Rose City | 17 | 10 ft | 5 ft | ||
| Bear LakeOsceola County, Rose Lake Township | 5 mi east of Le Roy | 15 | ||||
| Bear LakeRose Township, Ogemaw County, Rose Township | 5 mi north of Rose City | 14 | 28 ft | 11 ft | ||
| Bear LakeDrummond Township, Chippewa County, Drummond Township | 6 mi southeast of De Tour Village | 13 | 2 ft | |||
| Bear LakePresque Isle County, Bismarck Township | 6 mi southeast of Millersburg | 12 | ||||
| Bear LakeOceana County, Ferry Township | 4 mi east of New Era | 12 | 7 ft | |||
| Bear LakeMontmorency County, Briley Township | 15 mi west of Hillman | 12 | 12 ft | 1 ft |
Depth: Michigan DNR survey soundings; "about" figures are older Michigan EGLE estimates. Clarity: Michigan EGLE satellite estimate, 2023 average. Stockings: Michigan DNR Fisheries. Launches: Michigan DNR public access sites. Towns: US Census Bureau 2024 Gazetteer. How we measure