Boulder Lake vs Little Arbor Vitae Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Boulder Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Little Arbor Vitae Lake. Both are in Vilas County, Wisconsin.
Boulder Lake and Little Arbor Vitae 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. These two sit close on the readings, Boulder Lake versus Little Arbor Vitae Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Little Arbor Vitae Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Boulder Lake | Little Arbor Vitae Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 5.6 ft Better | 5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 21.6 µg/L Better | 31.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 23 ft | 32 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 516 acres | 480 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 6 Better | 4 |
| 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.
Swap a lake
Compare Boulder Lake or Little Arbor Vitae Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Boulder Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Little Arbor Vitae Lake. Water clarity: 5.6 ft vs 5 ft. For fishing diversity, Boulder Lake also leads with 6 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.