Blue Lake vs Clear Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Blue Lake and Clear Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Oneida County, Wisconsin.
Blue Lake and Clear Lake are both in Wisconsin — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. The readings are close: Blue Lake and Clear Lake 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.
Blue Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 23 ft down.
Clear Lake
No clarity data.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Blue Lake | Clear Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 23 ft | No data |
| Phosphorus | 10.7 µg/L Better | 10.8 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 49 ft | 95 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 441 acres | 873 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Yes |
| Fish Species | 4 | 6 Better |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | oligotrophic |
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
Both lakes earn the same Grade B. The tiebreakers come down to what you want from the lake. Blue Lake has fewer fish species than Clear Lake.
Stays via Stay22
Where to stay near Blue Lake and Clear Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Blue Lake and Clear Lake. 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.