The Northern Wisconsin Lake Finder
If you have spent time looking at the waterfront listings on this site or any other Northern Wisconsin real estate site you will have no doubt realized most listing descriptions are pretty much the same. Every lake home has the best views, the best frontage, and the perfect Northwoods setting. Every lot is on the best lake in Northern Wisconsin. The lake is peaceful and quiet, has crystal clear water and the fish practically jump in the boat! The truth of the matter is that most of what you read is right. Northern Wisconsin is filled with great lakes with great views and great fishing. However, every lake is a little bit different and the goal of my Lake Finder is to help you find the Northern Wisconsin lake that is perfect for you.
All Lakes
All lakes over 100 acres in Oneida and Vilas county. Sorted Alphabetically. Use this to look up specific lakes quickly and easily.
View All
View all lakes over 100 acres in Northern Wisconsin
Extremely Clear
Secchi disk reading of 15 feet or more. Extremely clear water indicates an obligotrophic lake which is clear, deep, and largely free of weeds. The fish population is usually smaller, but there are more trophy size fish.Clear
Secchi disk reading of 10 to 15 feet. These mesotrophic lakes are very clear lakes with few weeds. They often have more fish than an obligotrophic lake but less than an eutrophic one. There is good balance in mesotrophic lakes.Moderately Clear
Secchi disk reading of 7 to 10 feet. These lakes fall between eutrophic and mesotrophic on the scale. They have more weeds and fish than the mesotrphic lakes and less weeds and fish than the eutrophic lakes.Murky
Secchi disk reading of 4 to 7 feet. Lakes with murky water are considered to be eutrophic. They support a large fish population and have a fair amount of weeds.Very Murky
Secchi disk reading of less than 4 feet. Very murky water means a lake is hypereutrophic. These lakes are very weedy and subject to frequent algae blooms. On the plus side, they support large fish populations.
Lake Clarity
Important if you are looking for swimming lakes or fishing lakes.
1-15 mins
Go to town, grab a bite to eat, pick up some supplies and get back without wasting away your precious vacation time. You will also be far more likely to find high speed internet, good cell phone reception and natural gas in places close to town.16-30 mins
With the bigger towns like Rhinelander, Eagle River, and Minocqua you might still find high speed internet and good cell phone reception. Natural gas is less likely. Multiple trips to town for food or groceries start to eat a lot of time.31-45 mins
The ability to plan ahead is more important when it takes more than a half hour to just drive to town and back. High speed internet and natural gas are unlikely to be found. Cell phone reception may not be available.46 mins +
For those that really want to get away or who really love to plan ahead. There is no such thing as a quick trip to town for gas or groceries. High speed internet, natural gas, and cell phone reception are things you will probably have to live without.
Distance From Town - Round Trip
Important for those who want convenience and modern amenities.
Very Deep
Lakes with an average depth of 30 feet or more. The deeper the lake the cleaner the water is. Sediments can settle, once down in oxygen free water they remain settled. Fish waste and other pollutants are diluted with the higher volume of water.Deep
Lakes with an average depth of 15 to 30 feet. Lakes in this depth range are deep enough to eliminate worries of a rampant takeover of weeds. They are very clean and often have good underwater structural variance that makes for good fishing.Shallow
Lakes with an average depth of 7 to 15 feet. Lakes with these depths often have a bigger area of weeds along the shorelines and cleaner water in the deeper holes. These lakes can also be good fishing lakes.Very Shallow
Lakes with an average depth of less than 7 feet. These lakes have more weed growth and there is potential for the whole lake to be overtaken by weeds. The lower volume of water also makes the water dirtier by nature.
Average Lake Depth
Important if you are worried about drought or weeds.
Private
The most rare type of lake. There are only a couple private lakes over over 100 acres in Wisconsin. A private lake is fully owned by an individual or an entity with no future development possible. The most quiet, private and safe type of lake.Semi-Private
This type of lake has no current public access. Access can be gained via privately owned boat launches. Public access is possible in the future. Semi-public lakes are very quiet and private in almost all cases.Public
The most common type of lake with public boat launches and land that give access to this type of lake. A public lake has the highest activity level and least amount of privacy of the three types of lake access. Smaller public lakes are more peaceful.
Lake Access
Important if you are looking for privacy and a quiet atmosphere.
Spring Fed
Lakes which get their water from springs in their basin. Unlike drainage and seepage lakes, the water levels of spring fed lakes are consistent year to year. Like seepage lakes, spring fed lakes have very clean water.Seepage
Natural lakes whose water source is rain, groundwater and a small amount of run off. With limited runoff, these lakes have lower nutrient levels and limited pollutants. Since seepage lakes rely on groundwater, levels vary with rainfall.Drainage
Lakes whose water comes from ground and river drainage. They have high nutrient levels, meaning they support more vegetation. Shallow drainage lakes have murky water. These types of lakes rely on runoff and have more pollutants.
Lake Type
Important if you are looking for water quality and lake level stability.
Chain
The Chain of Lakes are the place to be if you are looking for a lot of activity and enjoy taking your boat for long cruises. Since chain lakes are public gathering spots, they are louder and less private than non-chain lakes.Non-Chain
Lakes that aren't on a chain are better for those who want more privacy and quiet. Privacy and quietness varies greatly depending on type of access, proximity to towns and size. Bigger public lakes close to towns are the busiest of the non-chain lakes.
Chain Lake or Non-Chain Lake?
Important if you want to be on a chain of lakes.
Whitefish/Irving/Ballard
Three lake chain 10 minutes south east of Boulder Junction with clear water.Eagle River
Seven lake chain in and around Eagle River with murky water.Fence Lake/Lac Du Flambeau
A sprawling seven lake chain near Lac Du Flambeau with very clear water.High/Fishtrap
A large three lake chain near Boulder Junction with clear water.Manitowish Waters
Three lake chain in and around Manitowish Waters with very clear water.Minocqua
Extremely popular five lake chain in and around Minocqua with clear water.Moen
Five lake chain 6 minutes west Rhinelander with moderately clear water.Rhinelander
Sprawling four lake chain in and around Rhinelander with murky water.Sugar Camp
A big four lake chain between Rhinelander, Eagle River, and St. Germain with moderately clear water.Three Lakes
An enormous seventeen lake chain near Three Lakes with mixed water clarity.
By Chain
Pick the Chain of Lakes you are most interested in.
600+ Acres
The biggest lakes in Northern Wisconsin. Lakes bigger than 600 acres are often the busiest lakes as they have the most people and the most public access points.300-600 Acres
My favorite sized lake. Big enough to provide great views and room to do whatever you want while still giving that picturesque "Up North" look where you look across the lake and see the meeting of forest, sky, and water.150-300 Acres
These lakes are plenty big enough to water ski, fish, or do anything else you would like. They are often more private and quiet than larger lakes.100-150 Acres
The 100 to 150 acre lakes are still big enough to be full rec lakes but often have a more private feel. There are usually less public access points and with less homes, there is not as much activity as the bigger lakes have.
By Size
Sort lakes by acreage.
Above this section there are eight categories of criteria you can use to start your search. Find the criteria that best fits what you are looking for and click on it. You will be taken to a page that displays all lakes with current listings that meet that criteria. If there are a lot of results you will be able to select another category to further narrow down the lakes. Once you find the type of lakes you are most interested in you can click on the lake names and view all of the current listings for that lake.
The category descriptions below are the cliff notes version of the information. If you would like more detailed information you can read my Northern Wisconsin Lake Homes Buyer's Guide or my Northern Wisconsin Lake Lots Buyer's Guide. If you would like to see how I rank the lakes you can click on "My Rankings" on the bottom of the criteria list to see how I rate the lakes. If you have criteria in mind, but do not want to do your own searches, feel free to contact me and I will gladly do a search for you.
One thing I should note is that I have limited the lake finder results to lakes that are 100 acres or bigger. I chose 100 acres as the cut off because that is about the size where a person's scope of lake activities can start to get limited. While many very popular full recreation lakes in Central Wisconsin are under 100 acres, up here in Northern Wisconsin we value our space a little more. If you are interested in lakes under 100 acres, contact me and I will do a search for you.