Big Dardis Lake
Big Dardis Lake in Price County, Wisconsin has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 5.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20.7 µg/L.
- Clarity
- 5.5 ft
- Typical in August
- 74°F
- Max depth
- ~50 ft est.
- Type
- Eutrophic
- Trend
- ↑ Improving
- Public access
- Yes
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Big Dardis Lake is a productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Price County, Wisconsin with an estimated average depth of about 50 feet. Water quality is graded B based on 1 sampling years through 2025. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 12 other monitored lakes in Price County, Big Dardis Lake ranks #3 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2025-09-30. Grade methodology: LakeQuality methodology.
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Swimming Safety
Grade onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae grades from past sampling — we do not hold live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Good for swimming, clear water with low algae levels
Water Quality Grade: B (Good)
Murky, only visible to about 5.5 ft. Phosphorus level: 20.7 µg/L. Trophic State Index: 50.
| Metric | Value | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity (Secchi Depth) | 5.5 ft | Not graded |
| Phosphorus | 20.7 µg/L | Good |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No recent samples | |
| Trophic State Index (TSI) | 50 | Eutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Where to stay near Big Dardis Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Big Dardis Lake in Price County, Wisconsin — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Big Dardis Lake
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Water Temperature
Big Dardis Lake typically sits around 74°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 77°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 79°F) and coldest in May (about 63°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 30 field readings (2024–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Big Dardis Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
| Characteristic | Value |
|---|---|
| Maximum Depth | ~50 ft est. |
| Average Depth | ~12 ft est. |
| Public Access | Yes |
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Wisconsin has not published bathymetry for Big Dardis Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS). Mean depth here is modelled, not surveyed — HydroLAKES v1.0 estimates lake depth from surrounding terrain rather than from soundings. Treat it as an approximation, and prefer a state bathymetric survey where one exists.
Recreation & Access
- Big Dardis LakePublic
- Bass LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Fishing Big Dardis Lake
Water Quality Trend: ↑ Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring data (2020-2025).
| Metric | Trend | Change/Year | Years |
|---|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | ↑ Improving | +0.221 m/yr | 6 |
| Phosphorus | ↑ Improving | -1.96 µg/L/yr | 4 |
County Ranking
Ranked #3 of 13 lakes in Price County
Nearby Lakes in Price County
Frequently asked questions about Big Dardis Lake
Where is Big Dardis Lake?
- Big Dardis Lake is a lake in Price County, Wisconsin. LakeQuality grades it B for nutrients and algae. The letter is not a swimming clearance.
What is the water quality grade for Big Dardis Lake?
- Big Dardis Lake in Price County, Wisconsin has a water quality grade of B (Good). Water clarity: 5.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 20.7 µg/L.
Is Big Dardis Lake safe to swim in?
- Good for swimming, clear water with low algae levels. Big Dardis Lake has a water quality grade of B (Good). Always check local health department advisories before swimming.
What is the water temperature of Big Dardis Lake?
- Big Dardis Lake typically sits around 74°F at the surface in August, from 30 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Big Dardis Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Big Dardis Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 50 feet, but that is a modelled estimate derived from surrounding terrain rather than a measurement on the water, so treat it as approximate.
Are there boat ramps on Big Dardis Lake?
- Big Dardis Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Big Dardis Lake, Bass Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
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Where this data comes from
47 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX47 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
Grade thresholds from the EPA National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See how grades are calculated and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory