Cranberry Lake sits in the mid-Michigan watershed system in Clare County. The lake is near Harrison and is part of the broader network of small lakes in the area that drain toward the Muskegon River system.
Cranberry Lake's shallow depth means it freezes reliably in winter and supports ice fishing. As always, check current ice thickness before venturing out — early and late season ice can be unpredictable even on shallow lakes.
How big is Cranberry Lake really?
Cranberry Lake pairs with Arnold Lake in the cottage country east of Harrison — roughly 106 acres of bass-and-panfish water about 20 feet deep, with a DNR concrete ramp, loading dock, and vault toilet serving it off the Arnold Lake Road corridor. (A data note worn proudly: this page previously carried a wildly wrong acreage inherited from a source error — the real figure is about 106, and the correction is exactly the kind of fix this site exists to make.)
It fishes like Clare County: largemouth in the weeds, northern pike cruising the edges, bluegill and crappie for the bucket brigade, with neighboring Arnold Lake's surprising 85-foot depths one launch away when the mood turns vertical. Harrison's services sit minutes west; the twin-basin quiet is the draw.