Crawling Stone Lake
Vilas County, Wisconsin1,483 acresView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Crawling Stone Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Rusty Crayfish
- 87 ft max depth
Crawling Stone Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 87 ft. Surface area: 1483 acres.
Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Crawling Stone Lake. DNR survey details →
Crawling Stone Lake is a 1,483-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 87 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 6 documented fish species including Musky, Panfish, and Largemouth Bass. Compared to the 102 other monitored lakes in Vilas County, Crawling Stone Lake ranks #55 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2025-07-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Crawling Stone Lake covers about 1,500 acres in Vilas County. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Crawling Stone Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Crawling Stone Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water16 ft of visibility
- Fishing6 species recorded
- Deep water87 ft surveyed max depth
- Big water1,483 acres
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
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 Crawling Stone 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 Crawling Stone Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Crawling Stone Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 16 ft down. Phosphorus 10.5 µg/L. TSI 38.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 16ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 10.5µg/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. | 38 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Crawling Stone Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Crawling Stone Lake.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Crawling Stone Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 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. Monitored by volunteers since 2004. 2 stations on file (most recent sample 2025).
Fish Species (DNR-rated)
Lake Details
Max depth
87 ft
Surface area
1,483 acres
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Crawling Stone Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Crawling Stone Lake in Vilas 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 Crawling Stone Lake
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Crawling Stone Lake
- → Crawling Stone Lake fishing: DNR survey catch rates, species & stocking
- → Crawling Stone Lake fishing forecast & best times (species outlook + 14-day solunar calendar)
- → Crawling Stone Lake fishing regulations (limits, seasons, special rules)
- → Is it safe to eat fish from Crawling Stone Lake? (mercury & PFAS guide)
Invasive & Introduced Species
Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 7 years of monitoring (2020–2026).
Water clarity
Worsening7 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+2.3 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Vilas County
Frequently asked questions about Crawling Stone Lake
Where is Crawling Stone Lake?
- Crawling Stone Lake is a lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Crawling Stone Lake?
- Crawling Stone Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 10.5 µg/L. Maximum depth: 87 ft. Surface area: 1483 acres.
Is Crawling Stone Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Crawling Stone Lake?
- Crawling Stone Lake has a maximum depth of 87 feet. The lake covers 1483 acres.
What fish are in Crawling Stone Lake?
- Fish species found in Crawling Stone Lake include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye. Crawling Stone Lake is located in Vilas County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Crawling Stone Lake?
- Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Crawling Stone Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Crawling Stone Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Explore Crawling Stone Lake across LakeQuality
Depth, room, public access, and the state wake-sport rules
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Wisconsin
Fish species and best lakes in Vilas County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Top lakes and where to stay in the Northwoods Wisconsin area
Where to stay at Wisconsin's top lakes, each with its readings
Lakes in the Wisconsin River Watershed, ranked by water quality
Wisconsin's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Compare Crawling Stone Lake With Nearby Lakes
Where this data comes from
26 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX26 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
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
Fish and recreation data from Wisconsin DNR Lakes