Oxbow Lake vs White Sand Lake Deep
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
White Sand Lake Deep has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Oxbow Lake (B, Good). Both are in Vilas County, Wisconsin.
Both Oxbow Lake and White Sand Lake Deep 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Oxbow Lake (B) versus White Sand Lake Deep (A). 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.
Oxbow Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft.
White Sand Lake Deep
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Oxbow Lake | White Sand Lake Deep |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 8 ft | 18 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15.2 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 44 ft | 63 ft |
| Surface Area | 523 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 Deep wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Oxbow Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 18 ft vs 8 ft. For fishing diversity, White Sand Lake Deep also leads with 0 species.