Keyes Lake
Florence County, WisconsinView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Keyes Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 42 ft max depth
- Public access
Keyes Lake in Florence County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 21 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11.4 µg/L.
Keyes Lake is a cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Florence County, Wisconsin with an estimated average depth of about 42 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 11 other monitored lakes in Florence County, Keyes Lake ranks #8 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2026-05-05. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Keyes Lake has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Keyes Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Keyes Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water21 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 Keyes 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 Keyes Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Keyes 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 21 ft down. Phosphorus 11.4 µg/L. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 21ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 11.4µg/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. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Keyes Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Keyes Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 73°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 75°F) and coldest in Apr (about 44°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (44°F) to its warmest (75°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 16 field readings (2024–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Keyes Lake water temperature breakdown →
DNR Reports & Resources
Wisconsin DNR Fisheries scientists publish multi-year survey reports for Keyes Lake covering fish populations, stocking, water quality, and management. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- 2016Keyes Lake fisheries summary report, 2016Fisheries Survey · WI DNR · 2016 (PDF)
Lake Details
Max depth
~42 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 Keyes Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
180 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,260 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
- Keyes 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 Keyes Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Keyes Lake in Florence 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 Keyes 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 Wisconsin’s top lakes →
Follow Keyes Lake’s readings
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Fishing Keyes Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+3.78 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Florence County
Frequently asked questions about Keyes Lake
Where is Keyes Lake?
- Keyes Lake is a lake in Florence County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Keyes Lake?
- Keyes Lake in Florence County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 21 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 11.4 µg/L.
Is Keyes 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 Keyes Lake?
- Keyes Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in August, from 16 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Keyes Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Keyes Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 42 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 Keyes Lake?
- Keyes Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Keyes Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Keyes Lake?
- Keyes 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 Keyes Lake across LakeQuality
Fish species and the cleanest lakes across Wisconsin
Fish species and best lakes in Florence County
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Wisconsin's top lakes, each with its readings
Wisconsin's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
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Oligotrophic Lakes in Wisconsin
Where this data comes from
65 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2020–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
WIDNR_WQX65 samples · 2020–2026
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- Turbidity in Water
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