Bair Lake

Cass County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

7ft Max
depth

200 acres 4 contours

Paddling Index47ModestMedium confidencerestricted hours · sheltered geometry

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Depth scale

04567

The lake

Survey readout

Bair Lake is mapped to a depth of 7 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 200 acres in Cass County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey (depths read from the survey's isobath field; this lake's summary-depth column is blank in the source).

Deepest sounding: 7 ft
Mean depth: 4 ft · estimated
Surface area: 200 acres
Estimated volume: 791 acre-ft · 258M gal
Shoreline: 2.76 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation: 16% of surface · NDVI estimate
Public access: No public DNR launch identified

Additional depth details4 contours

Contour depths: 0–7 ft
Recorded point soundings: 7 ft, 6 ft, 6 ft, 6 ft, 5 ft

100% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Cass County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 32 lakes · tap a dot for that lake

Chart data

Provenance

Sources: MI DNR inland lake contours, USGS 3DEP, USDA NAIP (public domain), OpenStreetMap (ODbL), MI DNR Boat Launches.

⚠ Not for navigation

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Map details & sources5 sources

All layers registered to one bounding box; positions in WGS 84.

Survey-derived depth contours drape over USGS 3DEP elevation, with a USDA NAIP aerial basemap and OpenStreetMap shoreline. Colour shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates: 41.89454, -85.80580
MI DNR lake ID: L26349
Vertical exaggeration: 12.0× below the waterline; land at true scale
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.0 MB

Watercraft rules

county-enforced local controls · MI DNR

Restricted hourswhole lake, as mapped

Official rule details1 rule

Restricted hours“Hours for high-speed boating and water skiing”

Where the mapped control areas and the official regulation language differ, the language governs. Official county watercraft controls.

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-08-21

47 / 100ModestData confidence: Medium

Bair Lake has a mixed natural and developed setting, generally sheltered geometry, nearby higher-volume roads. Watercraft controls: Restricted hours.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Mixed	11.5 of 35	45% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (24% forest, 20% wetland; 31% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Very Good	17.9 of 29	mean fetch 1,034 m · 0% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · generally short fetch
Watercraft controls	Restricted hours	10.9 of 18	Restricted hours
Public access	Not listed	—	No DNR-listed access site. Township, county and road-end launches are not in this source, so this is not evidence that access is poor — the component is excluded and the remaining weights are renormalized.
Road isolation	Mixed	6.3 of 18	nearby higher-volume roads · 19 MDOT-classified segments within 1.2 km, peak 6,106 vehicles/day

Additional paddling considerations

These describe the lake but are not part of the v1 Paddling Index and do not change the number above.

Wake sensitivity: Low — wide enough that wakes disperse over most of the lake
Aquatic vegetation: Moderate — approximately 16% mapped coverage · NAIP aerial imagery (NDVI)
Observed motorized activity: Unknown — No lake-level measurement of boat traffic is available. Legal permission to operate motors is not evidence of use.
Wildlife habitat potential: Limited — 24% forest and 20% wetland cover within 150 m of shore

Compare Michigan lakes by Paddling Index →

How this index is calculated. The Paddling Index is a relative composite derived from lake geometry and public environmental, access, roadway and watercraft-control data. It is not a user review, a safety rating, or a prediction of an individual outing. Differences of a few points should not be treated as meaningful — an 84 and an 82 are broadly comparable. Components and weights: natural setting 30%, geometric wind exposure 25%, watercraft controls 15%, public access 15%, road isolation 15%; observed motorboat activity is weighted 0% because no defensible lake-level measurement exists. Where a component has no data the remaining weights are renormalized and the confidence rating is lowered; below Medium confidence no number is shown. Sources: MI DNR Watercraft Control Areas (2026-08), USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021), MDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (2025) and MI DNR bathymetric survey outline (0 ft isobath). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Non-native species records

No non-native species recorded in the available dataset. This does not confirm that no non-native species are present.

Source: Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Conservation Planner; underlying nonindigenous species records from the USGS Nonindigenous Aquatic Species database.

At the lake

community-mapped amenities · straight-line distance

🚿 Restrooms / vault toilet≈0.4 mi

From OpenStreetMap community mapping — shown only where something is mapped; an amenity missing here may still exist. Distances are straight-line. Verify before you rely on it. © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL).

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance

Elk Park Feed Store≈6.7 mi60559 Calvin Center RD, Vandalia · Google · Apple

Hall's Bait Shop≈8.2 mi15573 US 12, Union · Google · Apple

Clear H20 Tackle LLC≈11.7 mi69037 Christiana Lake Rd, Edwardsburg · Google · Apple

Dealers licensed by the Michigan DNR to sell live bait; listing is not an endorsement. Distances are straight-line, not driving — and call ahead: hours and stock change. Source: Michigan DNR retail bait dealer data.

Quick answers

Bair Lake — common questions

How deep is Bair Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of Bair Lake is 7 ft. That is the deepest depth the historical survey map records, which may differ from the deepest point of the lake itself.

How big is Bair Lake?

Bair Lake covers about 200 acres in Cass County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of Bair Lake?

The estimated mean depth of Bair Lake is 4 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

Is there public access to Bair Lake?

No public launch for Bair Lake appears in the Michigan DNR access data. That is not the same as the lake being private -- municipal and private ramps are not in that source.

More lakes in Cass County