Hidden Valley Lake

On the LakeGrade scale Hidden Valley Lake grades a B, with clarity at 16.4 ft and 45 µg/L of phosphorus placing it above the Wisconsin median. Phosphorus is the parameter holding the grade back — runoff from the surrounding watershed appears to keep nutrient levels elevated through the summer.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Wisconsin lakes fall. A maximum depth of 18 ft puts Hidden Valley Lake in the middle of Wisconsin's depth distribution. At 26 acres, Hidden Valley Lake sits below the Wisconsin median: a small water where shoreline activity has an outsized effect on water quality. Hidden Valley Lake sits at rank 2 of 3 in Lafayette County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

No invasive species are currently listed at Hidden Valley Lake — the lake remains off the Wisconsin infested-waters roster. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Hidden Valley Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.