Highlands-Wolf Lake
Highlands County, FloridaView mapDirections
Florida DEP publishes the water-quality measurements for Highlands-Wolf Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Hypereutrophic
- Impaired · Impaired biota (cause unknown)
- 37 ft max depth
- Public access
Highlands-Wolf Lake in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 229.5 µg/L.
Highlands-Wolf Lake is a highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Highlands County, Florida with an estimated average depth of about 37 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 72 other monitored lakes in Highlands County, Highlands-Wolf Lake ranks #65 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, FDEP, last sampled 2024-12-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Highlands-Wolf Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyElevated nutrients
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. Highlands-Wolf Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown). Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Highlands-Wolf Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Highlands-Wolf Lake
These are the measurements Florida DEP publishes for Highlands-Wolf Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Very murky, less than 1 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 229.5 µg/L. TSI 80.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 230µg/L | Poor 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. | 80 | Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity
Ask about Highlands-Wolf Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Highlands-Wolf Lake typically sits around 75°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 87°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 87°F) and coldest in Feb (about 64°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (64°F) to its warmest (87°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 20 field readings (2010–2014) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Highlands-Wolf Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~37 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Florida DEP
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Florida has not published bathymetry for Highlands-Wolf Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
4 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
94 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
1.4 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
92 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
- Wolf Lake Public Boat RampPublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Highlands-Wolf Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Highlands-Wolf Lake in Highlands County, Florida — 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Highlands-Wolf Lake are listed below.
Top-rated places to stay near Highlands-Wolf Lake
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.
Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Florida’s top lakes →
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Fishing Highlands-Wolf Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 4 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Improving4 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.2 µg/L/yr4 years
EPA Impairment Status
Highlands-Wolf Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2022 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit FL1898 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in Highlands County
Frequently asked questions about Highlands-Wolf Lake
Where is Highlands-Wolf Lake?
- Highlands-Wolf Lake is a lake in Highlands County, Florida. Its water-quality measurements are published by Florida DEP and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Highlands-Wolf Lake?
- Highlands-Wolf Lake in Highlands County, Florida has water-quality measurements published by Florida DEP, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 229.5 µg/L.
Is Highlands-Wolf Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Highlands-Wolf Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5) for impaired biota (cause unknown). Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Highlands-Wolf Lake?
- Highlands-Wolf Lake typically sits around 75°F at the surface in October, from 20 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2014). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Highlands-Wolf Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Highlands-Wolf Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 37 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 Highlands-Wolf Lake?
- Highlands-Wolf Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Wolf Lake Public Boat Ramp. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Highlands-Wolf Lake?
- Highlands-Wolf 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 Florida's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
Explore Highlands-Wolf Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
135 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- FLORIDA LAKEWATCH
21FLKWAT_WQX135 samples · 2020–2024
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory