Manitowish Lake vs Rest Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Manitowish Lake and Rest Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of B (Good). Both are in Vilas County, Wisconsin.
Manitowish Lake and Rest 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 — Manitowish Lake (B) versus Rest 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.
Manitowish Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.5 ft.
Rest Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Manitowish Lake | Rest Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 12.5 ft | 12.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 61 ft | 53 ft |
| Surface Area | 496 acres | 655 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
Both lakes earn the same Grade B. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Manitowish Lake: 12.5 ft, Rest Lake: 12.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Manitowish Lake matches its peer on species count.