Spirit Lake vs Whitefish Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Whitefish Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Spirit Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Douglas County, Wisconsin.
Both Spirit Lake and Whitefish 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. Whitefish Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Spirit Lake (D). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Whitefish Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Spirit Lake
Very murky, less than 1.3 ft of visibility.
Whitefish Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 24.5 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Spirit Lake | Whitefish Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 1.3 ft | 24.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 59.5 µg/L | 11.4 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | 102 ft |
| Surface Area | 996 acres | 848 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Yes |
| Fish Species | 0 | 5 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Whitefish Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Spirit Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 24.5 ft vs 1.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Whitefish Lake also leads with 5 species.