East Bear Lake

Gogebic County, Michigan · MI DNR bathymetric survey

25ft Max
depth

41 acres 5 contours

Paddling Index91ExcellentMedium confidenceaway from major roads · sheltered geometry · wooded shoreline

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Depth scale

0510152025

The lake

Survey readout

East Bear Lake is mapped to a depth of 25 ft on the Michigan DNR survey and covers about 41 acres in Gogebic County, Michigan.

Measured from the Michigan DNR inland-lake contour survey.

Deepest mapped contour: 25 ft
Mean depth: 12.2 ft · estimated
Surface area: 41 acres
Estimated volume: 494 acre-ft · 161M gal
Shoreline: 1.27 mi · lobed
Aquatic vegetation: 7% of surface · NDVI estimate
Trophic state: Mesotrophic · satellite estimate · details
Public access: No public DNR launch identified
In: Ottawa National Forest · U.S. Forest Service

Additional depth details5 contours

Contour depths: 0–25 ft
Recorded point soundings: 25 ft

39% of the surface sits over water shallower than 10 ft; 11.7% is deeper than 20 ft. Depth, area and volume are estimated from the interpolated survey surface — historical reference, not measurement.

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Location

Gogebic County, Michigan · 15 nearest of 135 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.

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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. Color shows surveyed depth; dark lines are the survey's own isobaths.

Coordinates: 46.24189, -89.25173
MI DNR lake ID: L43951
Vertical exaggeration: 2.83× below the waterline; land at true scale
Basemap: USDA NAIP · public domain
Model size: 2.3 MB

Lake productivity & trophic state

Satellite estimate

Satellite-estimated classification: Mesotrophic. Moderate nutrient levels and biological productivity. Based on satellite estimates of summer chlorophyll-a (LAGOS-US LANDSAT, 2020). No lake-specific measurement is available in this dataset.

Trophic state describes how biologically productive a lake is, based on indicators such as nutrients, algae and water clarity. It is not a swimming-safety or overall water-quality rating.

What do the categories mean?

Oligotrophic≤ 2 µg/L · lower nutrient and algae levels, often clearer water and lower biological productivity.
Mesotrophic · this lake2–7 µg/L · moderate nutrient levels and biological productivity.
Eutrophic7–30 µg/L · higher nutrient levels and biological productivity, often with more algae or aquatic plant growth.
Hypereutrophic> 30 µg/L · very high nutrient levels and biological productivity, with a greater potential for heavy algae growth and low water clarity.

Bands are summer (June–August) mean chlorophyll-a, the green pigment in algae, at the EPA 2012 National Lakes Assessment thresholds. Trophic condition can change over time and by measurement method. Source: Midwest Glacial Lakes Partnership Conservation Planner; satellite chlorophyll-a estimates from LAGOS-US LANDSAT.

Paddling

Paddling Index methodology v1.0 · calculated 2026-09-23

91 / 100ExcellentData confidence: Medium

East Bear Lake has a heavily wooded and largely undeveloped setting, well sheltered geometry, little nearby major-road exposure. No special watercraft restriction is identified in the current source.

Why this score?5 components

Included in the index

Component	Rating	Points of weight	Measurement
Natural setting	Excellent	34.7 of 35	95% natural land cover within 150 m of shore (66% forest, 29% wetland; 0% developed)
Geometric wind exposure	Excellent	29.4 of 29	mean fetch 418 m · 90% of sampled water within 500 m of shelter · short fetch in most directions
Watercraft controls	None identified	8.8 of 18	No special watercraft restriction identified in the current DNR source. Motors permitted, subject to general law.
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	Excellent	17.6 of 18	relatively isolated from major roads · 1 MDOT-classified segment within 1.2 km, peak 54 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: Low — approximately 7% 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: High — 66% forest and 29% 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 bathymetric survey outline (0 ft isobath), USGS/MRLC NLCD Land Cover (2021), MI DNR Watercraft Control Areas (2026-08) and MDOT Annual Average Daily Traffic (2025). Conditions change quickly — check current weather and local conditions before going out.

Fishing rules

No recent catch, survey, or stocking data for this lake — but a fisheries order still governs it.

Fishing rules for this lake Beta

Rules that apply to this water, whatever you are fishing for.

These are hook-and-line size, daily limit and season rules, plus the extra boundary-water rules listed below. Other gear, spearing and bow fishing, spawning closures and rod limits are set by other Fisheries Orders and are not shown here.

Beta. This panel is newly published. Every value is parsed from the Michigan DNR fisheries orders and hand-checked against the printed digest, but the coverage and wording are still under review. If anything here disagrees with the Michigan DNR's Fisheries Orders or its printed digest, the DNR is right — the signed Fisheries Order is the legal text; the digest summarizes it.

Sylvania Wilderness Area — Statewide seasons apply, except that no fishing is allowed before the last Saturday in April or after October 31. Largemouth and Smallmouth Bass must be returned immediately to the water without injury. Possession of any bass is prohibited on these waters, regardless of where it was caught. Hook-and-line fishing only. Only artificial lures with barbless hooks may be used. (FO-212.19, effective 2018-09-13)

From FO-206.26 (eff. 2026-04-01) / FO-215.23A (eff. 2023-09-15) / FO-254.25 (eff. 2025-10-10), checked against the 2026 Michigan Fishing Regulations digest · verified 2026-09-15. Regulations can change — Michigan DNR rules are the controlling source; verify current regulations before fishing. Official regulations

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.

Bait & tackle nearby

licensed retail bait dealers · straight-line distance

Wilderness Bay Lodge & Resort≈6.1 mi · (800) 445-5370E20060 Thousand Island Lake Rd, Watersmeet · 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

East Bear Lake — common questions

How deep is East Bear Lake?

The deepest contour on the Michigan DNR bathymetric survey of East Bear Lake is 25 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 East Bear Lake?

East Bear Lake covers about 41 acres in Gogebic County, Michigan.

What is the average depth of East Bear Lake?

The estimated mean depth of East Bear Lake is 12.2 ft, calculated from the survey contours.

Is there public access to East Bear Lake?

No public launch for East Bear 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 Gogebic County