Altoona Lake vs Lake Wissota
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lake Wissota reads lower on nutrients and algae than Altoona Lake. Both are in Wisconsin.
Both Altoona Lake and Lake Wissota sit in Wisconsin. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are close: Altoona Lake and Lake Wissota sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
With readings this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.
Altoona Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Lake Wissota
Murky, only visible to about 3.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Altoona Lake | Lake Wissota |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 3 ft | 3.5 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 99.6 µg/L | 76.4 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 25 ft | 64.4 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 720 acres | 6,148 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 4 | 8 Better |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
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Verdict
Altoona Lake and Lake Wissota read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Altoona Lake: 3 ft, Lake Wissota: 3.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Altoona Lake has fewer fish species than Lake Wissota.
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Where to stay near Altoona Lake and Lake Wissota
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Altoona Lake and Lake Wissota. Both lakes are pinned on the map, so you can see which stays sit nearer the one you pick. Switch to Satellite to see how close each is to the water.
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.