Cloud Lake

Cloud Lake earns an A — water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate among the best monitored waters in Forest County. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Cloud Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. A maximum depth of 25 ft puts Cloud Lake in the middle of Wisconsin's depth distribution. At 28 acres, Cloud Lake sits below the Wisconsin median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Cloud Lake sits at rank 22 of 35 in Forest County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Cloud Lake — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. The fishery is bass-led, with 2 documented species across the lake's records. Public access is available — the lake is on the Wisconsin DNR public-access list. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.