Big Hills Lake
Waushara County, WisconsinView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Big Hills Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 43 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Big Hills Lake in Waushara County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 16.6 µg/L.
Big Hills Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Waushara County, Wisconsin with an estimated average depth of about 43 feet. Water clarity is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 15 other monitored lakes in Waushara County, Big Hills Lake ranks #15 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2026-06-28. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Big Hills Lake has one public boat landing. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Big Hills Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Big Hills Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Big Hills 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 Hills Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Big Hills Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.4 ft. Phosphorus 16.6 µg/L. TSI 46.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 8.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 16.6µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| 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. | 46 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Big Hills Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~43 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 Hills Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
121 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
2.5 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
873 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
- Hills Lake County ParkPublic
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 Hills Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Big Hills Lake in Waushara 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 Hills Lake
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Big Hills Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2020–2026).
Water clarity
Worsening7 years
Phosphorus
Improving-2.3 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Waushara County
Frequently asked questions about Big Hills Lake
Where is Big Hills Lake?
- Big Hills Lake is a lake in Waushara 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 Hills Lake?
- Big Hills Lake in Waushara County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 8.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 16.6 µg/L.
Is Big Hills Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Big Hills Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Big Hills Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 43 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 Hills Lake?
- Big Hills Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Hills Lake County Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Big Hills Lake?
- Big Hills 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.
Explore Big Hills Lake across LakeQuality
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Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
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Where this data comes from
88 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2021–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX88 samples · 2021–2026
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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