Boulder Lake vs Kentuck Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Boulder Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Kentuck Lake. Both are in Vilas County, Wisconsin.
Boulder Lake and Kentuck 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: Boulder Lake and Kentuck 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.
Boulder Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.6 ft.
Kentuck Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Boulder Lake | Kentuck Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 5.6 ft | 9.5 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 21.6 µg/L Better | 24.3 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 23 ft | 40 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 516 acres | 1,001 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 6 Better | 5 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
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
Boulder Lake and Kentuck Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Boulder Lake: 5.6 ft, Kentuck Lake: 9.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Boulder Lake supports more documented fish species.
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Where to stay near Boulder Lake and Kentuck Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.