USFS Bear Creek Access on Manistee River

Bear Creek, the largest tributary of the Manistee River below Tippy Dam, boasts a bountiful fishery in its own right, so the U.S. Forest Service site where Bear Creek flows in the Manistee River provides access to the best of both worlds.

The Bear Creek access platform provides universal access for anglers and sight-seers.Anglers have the opportunity to fish both waterways from this site, and a barrier-free fishing pier and concrete walkways open the opportunities to people of all abilities.

The site is open year-round 24 hours a day, seven days a week and the $5 a day/$15 a week user fees are utilized by the U.S. Forest Service for maintenance. The concrete boat ramp provides access to gas or electric powered motor boats less than 25 feet and smaller vessels such as canoes, kayaks and fishing boats.

A short distance from the Explore the Shores pier at the Bear Creek River Access Site lies a prehistoric mound, marking the area where a small settlement existed from the Mississippean Period to the Late Woodland Period (approximately 800s to 1300s AD). These early settlers cherished what many still appreciate to this day – the amazing wealth of resources available at the site where Bear Creek flows into the Manistee River.

Concrete walkways and a barrier-free fishing pier provide universal access to this site, which was previously difficult to navigate for people with disabilities, families with small children or people whose movement is limited.