Sand Lake vs Whitefish Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Whitefish Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Sand Lake. Both are in Sawyer County, Wisconsin.
Sand Lake and Whitefish 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. The readings are close: Sand Lake and Whitefish Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
With readings 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.
Sand Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10 ft.
Whitefish Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Sand Lake | Whitefish Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 10 ft | 13.5 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 23.8 µg/L | 14 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.1 µg/L | 1.6 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 50 ft | 105 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 949 acres | 800 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 6 | 7 Better |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
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Verdict
Sand Lake and Whitefish Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Sand Lake: 10 ft, Whitefish Lake: 13.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Sand Lake has fewer fish species than Whitefish Lake.
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Where to stay near Sand Lake and Whitefish Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Sand Lake and Whitefish Lake. Both lakes are pinned on the map, so you can see which stays sit nearer the one you pick. Switch to Satellite to see how close each is to the water.
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.