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LakeQuality

Sand Lake vs Stone Lake

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

Sand Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Stone Lake (B, Good). Both are in Wisconsin.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Sand Lake and Stone 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 — Sand Lake (A) versus Stone 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.

A

Sand Lake

Sawyer County, Wisconsin

Good clarity, visible to about 10 ft.

B

Stone Lake

Washburn County, Wisconsin

Crystal clear, you can see 23 ft down.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricSand LakeStone Lake
Overall GradeA (Excellent)B (Good)
Water Clarity10 ft23 ft
Phosphorus23.8 µg/L11.2 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)4.1 µg/LNo data
Maximum Depth50 ft49 ft
Surface Area949 acres490 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species65
Trophic Statemesotrophicoligotrophic

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

Verdict

Sand Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Stone Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 10 ft vs 23 ft. For fishing diversity, Sand Lake also leads with 6 species.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.