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LakeQuality

Lac Vieux Desert Lake vs North Twin Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

North Twin Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Lac Vieux Desert Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Vilas County, Wisconsin.

Lac Vieux Desert Lake and North Twin 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 are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Lac Vieux Desert Lake (C) versus North Twin Lake (B). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.

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.

C

Lac Vieux Desert Lake

Vilas County, Wisconsin

Murky, only visible to about 5.7 ft.

B

North Twin Lake

Vilas County, Wisconsin

Good clarity, visible to about 14 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricLac Vieux Desert LakeNorth Twin Lake
Overall GradeC (Fair)B (Good)
Water Clarity5.7 ft14 ft
Phosphorus28.2 µg/LNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth38 ft60 ft
Surface Area4.0K acres2.9K acres
Public AccessUnknownUnknown
Fish Species00
Trophic Stateeutrophicoligotrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

North Twin Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Lac Vieux Desert Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 14 ft vs 5.7 ft. For fishing diversity, North Twin Lake also leads with 0 species.