Bear Lake lies in Houghton County in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. The Michigan Department of Natural Resources surveyed its basin and drew 10 depth contour lines, from the shoreline down to the deepest water at about 4 feet.
Each Bear Lake design here redraws those survey lines as clean art, set with the lake’s name, county and maximum depth: a minimal contour map, in light and dark versions, and a shaded depth-map print.
They are printed to order on shirts, mugs, posters, canvas prints, stickers and postcards by CafePress, and make a gift for anyone with a cabin, a boat or a lifetime of summers on Bear Lake. The maps are decorative and not for navigation.
Questions about Bear Lake
How deep is Bear Lake?
Bear Lake is recorded at 4 feet at its deepest point in the survey data our designs are drawn from. On the shaded depth map the deepest basin is the darkest area. Survey figures can be decades old, so treat them as history, not a current sounding.
Where is Bear Lake?
Bear Lake is in Houghton County, Michigan.
Where do the Bear Lake contour lines come from?
The shoreline and depth contours are traced from Michigan DNR inland lake survey contours, then redrawn as three designs: a light contour map, a dark contour map and a shaded depth map. How the maps are made explains the process.
What Bear Lake gifts can I buy?
The Bear Lake designs are available as canvas prints, posters, T-shirts, mugs and tote bags. Every item is printed to order and shipped by CafePress; the shop links on this page go straight to each product.
Can I use the Bear Lake map for boating or fishing?
No. The designs are decorative art drawn from survey data that may be old, and they leave out what a chart needs. On the water, use proper charts and current local information.
