Butternut Lake vs Franklin Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Franklin Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Butternut Lake. Both are in Forest County, Wisconsin.
Butternut Lake and Franklin 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 their nutrient and algae readings, Butternut Lake versus Franklin 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.
Butternut Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 19.5 ft down.
Franklin Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Butternut Lake | Franklin Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 19.5 ft Better | 16 ft |
| Phosphorus | 12.1 µg/L | 11.3 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 42 ft | 46 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 1,246 acres | 839 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 4 | 5 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
Butternut Lake and Franklin Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Butternut Lake: 19.5 ft, Franklin Lake: 16 ft) and what you want from the lake. Butternut Lake has fewer fish species than Franklin Lake.
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Where to stay near Butternut Lake and Franklin Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Butternut Lake and Franklin 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Butternut Lake and Franklin Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.