Ike Walton Lake Deep vs White Sand Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
White Sand Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Ike Walton Lake Deep (C, Fair). Both are in Vilas County, Wisconsin.
Ike Walton Lake Deep and White Sand 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. White Sand Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Ike Walton Lake Deep (C). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — White Sand Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Ike Walton Lake Deep
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.5 ft.
White Sand Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Ike Walton Lake Deep | White Sand Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 8.5 ft | 16 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 12.1 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 61 ft | 63 ft |
| Surface Area | 1.4K acres | 1.2K acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
White Sand Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Ike Walton Lake Deep's Grade C. Water clarity: 16 ft vs 8.5 ft. For fishing diversity, White Sand Lake also leads with 0 species.