Bear River is a small clear slow-moving river in the U.S. state of Michigan. 14.7 miles (23.7 km) long, it is the largest tributary of Little Traverse Bay in the northwest of the lower peninsula. Traverse Bay is on Lake Michigan. The river is formed as the outflow of Walloon Lake on the boundary between Charlevoix County and Emmet County, draining from the southeast end of the lake at (45°15′40″N84°56′01″W) near the community of Walloon Lake in Melrose Township.