Ellis Lake vs Upper Little York Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Upper Little York Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Ellis Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Cortland County, Wisconsin.
Ellis Lake and Upper Little York Lake are both in New York — 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 grades are close: Ellis Lake (C) and Upper Little York Lake (B) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
With grades 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.
Ellis Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.8 ft.
Upper Little York Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Ellis Lake | Upper Little York Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 7.8 ft | 11 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 43.6 acres | 150 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Upper Little York Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Ellis Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 11 ft vs 7.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Upper Little York Lake also leads with 0 species.