Updated 9 Oct 2026, 2:22 am EDT. Get alerts for Manistee County lakes
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36 lakes · 7,548 acres · 12 with measured depth · 8 with a public launch · 6 stocked
Manistee County has 36 lakes of 10 acres or more, 34 of them named, covering 7,548 acres of water. The largest is Portage Lake at 2,116 acres, which is also the deepest measured, at 60 ft. Michigan DNR has surveyed the depth of 12 lakes here.
Lake outlines: Michigan hydrography (lakes of 10 acres or more). Depths: Michigan DNR lake surveys, fetched 7 Oct 2026. County line: U.S. Census TIGER. Drawn square to the county's survey lines, which run 1° off true north; the arrow points to true north. Not for navigation.
8 lakes in Manistee County cover 100 acres or more. The 12 largest are listed here; the full register of 34 named lakes follows.
| Lake | Acres | Deepest | Clarity | Launches | Last stocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage Lake | 2,116 | 60 ft | 13 ft | 2 | 2026 |
| Bear Lake | 1,873 | 6 ft | 13 ft | 2 | 2026 |
| Tippy Dam Pond | 1,086 | 1 | 2024 | ||
| Manistee Lake | 1,051 | about 50 ft (est.) | 10 ft | 4 | |
| Arcadia Lake | 243 | about 30 ft (est.) | 8 ft | 1 | 2017 |
| Bar Lake | 240 | about 15 ft (est.) | 7 ft | ||
| Pine Lake | 168 | 50 ft | 13 ft | 2023 | |
| Chief Lake | 117 | 9 ft | 12 ft | ||
| Lake of the Woods | 63 | 30 ft | 13 ft | ||
| Peter's Bayou | 51 | about 15 ft (est.) | |||
| Healy Lake | 41 | 50 ft | 10 ft | ||
| Lemon Lake | 37 | about 30 ft (est.) | 10 ft | 1 |
| Lake | Acres | Deepest | Clarity | Launches | Last stocked |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portage Lake | 2,116 | 60 ft | 13 ft | 2 | 2026 |
| Bear Lake | 1,873 | 6 ft | 13 ft | 2 | 2026 |
| Tippy Dam Pond | 1,086 | 1 | 2024 | ||
| Manistee Lake | 1,051 | about 50 ft (est.) | 10 ft | 4 | |
| Arcadia Lake | 243 | about 30 ft (est.) | 8 ft | 1 | 2017 |
| Bar Lake | 240 | about 15 ft (est.) | 7 ft | ||
| Pine Lake | 168 | 50 ft | 13 ft | 2023 | |
| Chief Lake | 117 | 9 ft | 12 ft | ||
| Lake of the Woods | 63 | 30 ft | 13 ft | ||
| Peter's Bayou | 51 | about 15 ft (est.) | |||
| Healy Lake | 41 | 50 ft | 10 ft | ||
| Lemon Lake | 37 | about 30 ft (est.) | 10 ft | 1 | |
| Canfield Lake | 35 | 20 ft | 15 ft | 1 | |
| Copemish Pond | 28 | about 15 ft (est.) | |||
| Lake Emma | 26 | about 25 ft (est.) | 5 ft | ||
| Totches Bayou | 25 | ||||
| Glovers Lake | 25 | about 25 ft (est.) | 6 ft | 1 | |
| James Lake | 24 | 47 ft | 17 ft | ||
| Dickson Lake | 24 | 30 ft | 12 ft | ||
| Claybank Lake | 23 | about 25 ft (est.) | 14 ft | ||
| Shingle Mill Lake | 20 | about 20 ft (est.) | 10 ft | ||
| Dorner Lake | 20 | about 30 ft (est.) | 10 ft | ||
| Adamson Lake | 19 | about 25 ft (est.) | 11 ft | ||
| King Lake | 19 | about 30 ft (est.) | 13 ft | ||
| Butcher Lake | 15 | ||||
| Chittenden Lake | 15 | about 35 ft (est.) | 11 ft | ||
| Crystal Lake | 15 | 30 ft | 17 ft | 2009 | |
| Lake Eleanor | 15 | 38 ft | 15 ft | ||
| Gordon Lake | 15 | ||||
| Watson Lake | 14 | 10 ft | |||
| Timmerman Lake | 14 | 31 ft | 10 ft | ||
| Lake Salma | 14 | 11 ft | |||
| Blacksmith Bayou | 14 | ||||
| Clarence Lake | 11 | 7 ft |
Acres: Michigan hydrography. Deepest: Michigan DNR survey; "est." marks an older Michigan EGLE estimate, rounded to 5 ft. Clarity: Michigan EGLE satellite averages 2018–23. Launches: Michigan DNR. Stocking: Michigan DNR Fisheries. Fetched 7–8 Oct 2026.
3 lakes in Manistee County are 50 ft deep or more by Michigan DNR survey. Portage Lake is the deepest at 60 ft, then Pine Lake (50 ft), Healy Lake (50 ft) and James Lake (47 ft). The depth of the other 22 named lakes has not been surveyed; where an older state estimate exists, the register gives it as an estimate.
Michigan DNR lake survey deep points, fetched 7 Oct 2026.
Clarity is the depth at which a black-and-white Secchi disk disappears from view. Across 27 lakes with satellite readings, the middle value in Manistee County is 11 ft. The clearest is James Lake at about 17 ft, then Crystal Lake (17 ft), Canfield Lake (15 ft) and Lake Eleanor (15 ft). The least clear is Lake Emma at about 5 ft. Clarity is not a test for bacteria or algae toxins.
Michigan EGLE satellite-derived Secchi depth, averages 2018–23, fetched 7 Oct 2026.
Michigan DNR lists 13 public access sites on 8 lakes in Manistee County; 9 require a Recreation Passport. The other 26 named lakes have no public access site listed by Michigan DNR.
| Lake | Site | Facilities |
|---|---|---|
| Portage Lake | Portage Lake | 2 ramp lanes · 25 trailer spaces · 2 car spaces · vault toilet · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required |
| Portage Lake | Onekama Village Park | 2 ramp lanes |
| Bear Lake | Bear Lake | 2 ramp lanes · 15 trailer spaces · 5 car spaces · vault toilet · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required |
| Bear Lake | Hopkins Park | 1 ramp lane · 8 trailer spaces · flush toilets |
| Tippy Dam Pond | Tippy Dam Pond Campground | 1 ramp lane · 2 trailer spaces · Recreation Passport required |
| Manistee Lake | Arthur Street Ramp | 2 ramp lanes · 20 trailer spaces · 2 car spaces · flush toilets · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required |
| Manistee Lake | East Lake Village Park | 4 ramp lanes · 14 trailer spaces · 11 car spaces · flush toilets · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required |
| Manistee Lake | Bridge Street | 1 ramp lane |
| Manistee Lake | Stronach | 2 ramp lanes · 23 trailer spaces · 6 car spaces · vault toilet · accessible restroom · Recreation Passport required |
| Arcadia Lake | Arcadia Dock | 2 ramp lanes · 17 trailer spaces · 2 car spaces · Recreation Passport required |
| Lemon Lake | Lemon Lake | 1 ramp lane · 1 trailer space · 2 car spaces |
| Canfield Lake | Canfield Lake | 1 ramp lane · 3 trailer spaces · 2 car spaces · Recreation Passport required |
| Glovers Lake | Glovers Lake | 1 ramp lane · 2 trailer spaces · 4 car spaces · vault toilet · Recreation Passport required |
Michigan DNR boating access sites, fetched 8 Oct 2026.
Michigan DNR has stocked 6 lakes in Manistee County 226 times since 1979. Walleye went into 3 lakes: Bear Lake, Portage Lake and Tippy Dam Pond. The most recent stocking was 84,870 walleye in Bear Lake on 30 June 2026. Portage Lake, Manistee Lake and Arcadia Lake are designated trout lakes (Type F), with their own seasons and limits. Rivers and smaller waters stocked in the county: Betsie River, Lake Michigan, Lake Michigan - Manistee Harbor, Little Manistee River and Manistee River.
| Species | Lakes | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Walleye | 3 | Bear Lake, Portage Lake and Tippy Dam Pond |
| Brown trout | 3 | Arcadia Lake, Pine Lake and Portage Lake |
| Channel catfish | 1 | Tippy Dam Pond |
| Arctic grayling | 1 | Pine Lake |
| Coho salmon | 1 | Portage Lake |
| Hybrid sunfish | 1 | Crystal Lake |
| Chinook salmon | 1 | Portage Lake |
2026: 2 stockings, 150,153 fish in 2 lakes.
Michigan DNR Fisheries stocking records, fetched 8 Oct 2026. Each stocking is placed by its survey section, so lakes that share a name are kept apart. How we measure
36 lakes of 10 acres or more, 34 of them named, in Michigan's hydrography layer. Smaller ponds are not counted.
Portage Lake, at 2,116 acres.
Portage Lake, 60 ft at its deepest point by Michigan DNR survey.
James Lake, with an average Secchi depth of about 17 ft (satellite readings, 2018–23).
Michigan DNR lists public access sites on Portage Lake, Bear Lake, Tippy Dam Pond, Manistee Lake, Arcadia Lake, Lemon Lake, Canfield Lake and Glovers Lake.
Bear Lake, Portage Lake and Tippy Dam Pond, by Michigan DNR stocking records.