1
AHarris Lake
Vilas County, Wisconsin · 2.2 mi from Crawford Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++41.1 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (12.3 vs 58.2 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Crawford Lake
4 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Crawford Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 4 lakes hold a higher grade. Harris Lake (Vilas County, Grade A, 2.2 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
ARainbow Lake
Vilas County, Wisconsin · 2.8 mi from Crawford Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++12.4 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (11.4 vs 58.2 µg/L)
3
APresque Isle Lake
Vilas County, Wisconsin · 2.8 mi from Crawford Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++53.4 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (10.3 vs 58.2 µg/L)
4
ABirch Lake
Vilas County, Wisconsin · 3.6 mi from Crawford Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++14 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (16.6 vs 58.2 µg/L)
How this list is built
Every lake on LakeQuality has a calculated grade from EPA Water Quality Portal samples — secchi depth, total phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a measured against Metropolitan Council thresholds. To suggest cleaner alternatives, we filter lakes within 30 miles to those with a strictly higher numeric score, then rank by grade improvement with a small proximity tiebreak. Cross-state and limited-data lakes are excluded so the list stays locally relevant.