Horsehead Lake
Vilas County, WisconsinView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Horsehead Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 41 ft max depth
- Public access
Horsehead Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14.6 µg/L.
Horsehead Lake is a mesotrophic lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin with an estimated average depth of about 41 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 102 other monitored lakes in Vilas County, Horsehead Lake ranks #43 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2024-08-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Horsehead Lake has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Horsehead Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.
What Horsehead Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water10 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
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 Horsehead 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 Horsehead Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Horsehead Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 10 ft. Phosphorus 14.6 µg/L. TSI 43.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 10ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 14.6µg/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. | 43 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Horsehead Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Horsehead Lake typically sits around 75°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in Apr (about 47°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (47°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 8 field readings (2024–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Horsehead Lake water temperature breakdown →
Lake Details
Max depth
~41 ft est.
Public access
Yes
Listed by Wisconsin DNR
Depth marked “est.” is a modeled maximum from GLOBathy (Khazaei et al. 2022, CC0), not a measured survey. Wisconsin has not published bathymetry for Horsehead Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
213 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3.1 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,640 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
- Horsehead LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Horsehead Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Horsehead 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 Horsehead Lake
Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Wisconsin’s top lakes →
Follow Horsehead Lake’s readings
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Fishing Horsehead Lake
Water Quality Trend: Improving
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Improving-0.47 µg/L/yr5 years
Nearby Lakes in Vilas County
Frequently asked questions about Horsehead Lake
Where is Horsehead Lake?
- Horsehead 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 Horsehead Lake?
- Horsehead Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 10 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14.6 µg/L.
Is Horsehead Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Horsehead Lake?
- Horsehead Lake typically sits around 75°F at the surface in August, from 8 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Horsehead Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Horsehead Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 41 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 Horsehead Lake?
- Horsehead Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Horsehead Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Horsehead Lake?
- Horsehead 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.
Explore Horsehead Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
36 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX36 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
Monitoring station identifiers (2)
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory