Lower Eau Claire Lake vs Upper Eau Claire Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Upper Eau Claire Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Lower Eau Claire Lake (A, Excellent). Both are in Bayfield County, Wisconsin.
Both Lower Eau Claire Lake and Upper Eau Claire Lake sit in Wisconsin. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. The grades are close: Lower Eau Claire Lake (A) and Upper Eau Claire Lake (A) 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.
Lower Eau Claire Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14.1 ft.
Upper Eau Claire Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18.7 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lower Eau Claire Lake | Upper Eau Claire Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 14.1 ft | 18.7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 13 µg/L | 11.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 41 ft | 92 ft |
| Surface Area | 784 acres | 1,024 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Yes |
| Fish Species | 6 | 6 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Upper Eau Claire Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Lower Eau Claire Lake's Grade A. Water clarity: 18.7 ft vs 14.1 ft. For fishing diversity, Upper Eau Claire Lake also leads with 6 species.