Spectacle Lake
Vilas County, WisconsinView mapDirections
Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Spectacle Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 27 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Spectacle Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.5 ft visibility.
Spectacle Lake is a lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin with an estimated average depth of about 27 feet. Limited fish-species data available. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2026-07-06. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Spectacle Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water11.5 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Camping1 public campground nearby
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Spectacle 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 Spectacle Lake
These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Spectacle 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 11.5 ft. TSI 42.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 11.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| 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. | 42 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Spectacle Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Lake Details
Max depth
~27 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 Spectacle Lake.
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
3 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Surface area
151 acres
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Shoreline
3.8 mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,745 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
- Spectacle LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Public campgrounds near Spectacle Lake
- Spectacle Lake Campground (Wisconsin)1.1 kmReserve
Nearest public campgrounds in the USGS National Map inventory, within about 3 miles. An empty list means USGS records no campground that close, which is not the same as camping being unavailable. Where the source gives an official reservation link, it is used; the cabin and hotel search does not cover campsites. More camping lakes
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Spectacle Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Spectacle Lake
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Fishing Spectacle Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2026).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Nearby Lakes in Vilas County
Frequently asked questions about Spectacle Lake
Where is Spectacle Lake?
- Spectacle 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 Spectacle Lake?
- Spectacle Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.5 ft visibility.
Is Spectacle Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Spectacle Lake?
- No published bathymetric survey covers Spectacle Lake, so its depth has not been measured. The HydroLAKES global model estimates an average depth of about 27 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 Spectacle Lake?
- Spectacle Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Spectacle Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Spectacle Lake?
- Spectacle 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.
Are there campgrounds on Spectacle Lake?
- Spectacle Lake has 1 public campground from USGS The National Map within 5 km, including Spectacle Lake Campground (Wisconsin). This is a location join, not a booking. Cabins and hotels are listed separately; campsite reservations use the official link when the source provides one.
Explore Spectacle Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
31 measurements from 3 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_WQX31 samples · 2020–2026
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
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory
Public campgrounds from USGS The National Map Structures, within about 3 miles