Where is Cranberry Lake?

Cranberry Lake is a lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.

How deep is Cranberry Lake?

Cranberry Lake has a maximum depth of 12 feet. The lake covers 131 acres.

What fish are in Cranberry Lake?

Fish species found in Cranberry Lake include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye. Cranberry Lake is located in Bayfield County, Wisconsin.

Are there boat ramps on Cranberry Lake?

Cranberry Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Mooney Dam Park. Public access is listed as yes.

Can I fish at Cranberry Lake?

Cranberry 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.

Cranberry Lake

Bayfield County, Wisconsin131 acresView map Directions

Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Cranberry Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity

9 ft

Typical for Wisconsin

Secchi · sampled 2021

Phosphorus

18.9 µg/L

Typical for Wisconsin

Measured by Wisconsin DNR

Max depth

12 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

131 acres

Surface area

Type

Mesotrophic

Trophic class

Trend

Worsening

6 years of samples

Mesotrophic
12 ft max depth
Public access
Limited data

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Cranberry Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 18.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 12 ft. Surface area: 131 acres.

Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as present on Cranberry Lake. DNR survey details →

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Cranberry Lake is a 131-acre mesotrophic lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 12 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 5 documented fish species including Musky, Panfish, and Largemouth Bass. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 23 other monitored lakes in Bayfield County, Cranberry Lake ranks #1 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2021-08-31. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Cranberry Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Boat launch1 documented ramp
Fishing5 species recorded

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Limited 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 Cranberry 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.

Compare swimming lakes near Hayward →

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Water quality measurements for Cranberry Lake

These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Cranberry 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 9 ft. Phosphorus 18.9 µg/L. TSI 46.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	9ft	Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.
Total phosphorus	18.9µg/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 Cranberry Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

DNR fisheries survey

Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as present on Cranberry Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Cranberry Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

WI DNR Lake Profile

Authoritative data from the Wisconsin DNR LakePages. 1 station on file (most recent sample 2021).

Fish Species (DNR-rated)

Musky(Present)Panfish(Present)Largemouth Bass(Present)Northern Pike(Present)Walleye(Present)

Contour map (PDF) →Full WI DNR LakePage →Water quality stations →

Lake Details

Max depth

12 ft

Surface area

131 acres

Public access

Yes

Listed by Wisconsin DNR

Recreation & Access

Boat Landings

Yes

Public Access

Mooney Dam 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 Cranberry Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Cranberry Lake in Bayfield 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 Cranberry Lake

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Follow Cranberry Lake’s readings

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Fish Species

Musky Panfish Largemouth Bass Northern Pike Walleye

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Cranberry Lake

Water Quality Trend: Worsening

Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).

Water clarity
Worsening
5 years
Phosphorus
Stable
-0.25 µg/L/yr6 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in Bayfield County

Lower Eau Claire Lake14.1 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →Middle Eau Claire Lake18.2 ft clear · Oligotrophic—View →Bony Lake19.8 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →Pickerel Lake—View →Birch Lake—View →Robinson Lake13.5 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →

Frequently asked questions about Cranberry Lake

Where is Cranberry Lake?: Cranberry Lake is a lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Cranberry Lake?: Cranberry Lake in Bayfield County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 9 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 18.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 12 ft. Surface area: 131 acres.
Is Cranberry Lake safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Cranberry Lake?: Cranberry Lake has a maximum depth of 12 feet. The lake covers 131 acres.
What fish are in Cranberry Lake?: Fish species found in Cranberry Lake include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye. Cranberry Lake is located in Bayfield County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Cranberry Lake?: Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as present on Cranberry Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Cranberry Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Cranberry Lake?: Cranberry Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Mooney Dam Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Cranberry Lake?: Cranberry 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

12 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2021. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWIDNR_WQX12 samples · 2020–2021

Analytical methods

Phosphorus by Colorimetry

Monitoring station identifiers (1)

WIDNR_WQX-043159

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

Fish and recreation data from Wisconsin DNR Lakes

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory