Big Doctor Lake
Burnett County, WisconsinView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Big Doctor Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 35 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Big Doctor Lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.3 ft visibility.
Big Doctor Lake is a lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin with an estimated average depth of about 35 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2023-06-15. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Big Doctor Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Big Doctor Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Big Doctor Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Big Doctor Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 4.3 ft. TSI 56.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 4.3ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 56 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Big Doctor Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Big Doctor Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 78°F) and coldest in Mar (about 40°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (40°F) to its warmest (78°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 122 field readings (2024–2026) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Big Doctor Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~35 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Wisconsin DNR
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 Doctor Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
6 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
198 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
971 ft
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 Doctor LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Big Doctor Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Big Doctor Lake
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Fishing Big Doctor Lake
Nearby Lakes in Burnett County
Frequently asked questions about Big Doctor Lake
Where is Big Doctor Lake?
- Big Doctor Lake is a lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Big Doctor Lake?
- Big Doctor Lake in Burnett County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 4.3 ft visibility.
Is Big Doctor Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Big Doctor Lake?
- Big Doctor Lake typically sits around 61°F at the surface in October, from 122 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2026). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Big Doctor Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Big Doctor Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 35 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 Doctor Lake?
- Big Doctor Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Big Doctor Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Big Doctor Lake?
- Big Doctor Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Wisconsin's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
3 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2023. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX3 samples · 2023
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from 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