Where is Upper Gresham Lake?

Upper Gresham Lake is a lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wisconsin DNR and shown on this page as reported.

How deep is Upper Gresham Lake?

Upper Gresham Lake has a maximum depth of 32 feet. The lake covers 362 acres.

Are there boat ramps on Upper Gresham Lake?

Upper Gresham Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Upper Gresham Lake. Public access is listed as yes.

Can I fish at Upper Gresham Lake?

Upper Gresham 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.

Upper Gresham Lake

Vilas County, Wisconsin362 acresView map Directions

Wisconsin DNR publishes the water-quality measurements for Upper Gresham Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity

11.3 ft

Typical for Wisconsin

Secchi · sampled 2026

Phosphorus

13.9 µg/L

Typical for Wisconsin

Measured by Wisconsin DNR

Max depth

32 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

362 acres

Surface area

Type

Mesotrophic

Trophic class

Trend

Stable

6 years of samples

Mesotrophic
Rusty Crayfish
32 ft max depth
Public access

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Upper Gresham Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 32 ft. Surface area: 362 acres.

Wisconsin DNR rates Panfish as abundant on Upper Gresham Lake. DNR survey details →

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Upper Gresham Lake is a 362-acre mesotrophic lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 32 feet. Water clarity is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 5 documented fish species including Musky, Panfish, and Largemouth Bass. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 102 other monitored lakes in Vilas County, Upper Gresham Lake ranks #72 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2026-06-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Upper Gresham Lake covers about 360 acres in Vilas County. It has one public boat landing. Vrbo is where to look for cabins and lake homes around Upper Gresham Lake, and Booking.com and Expedia search hotels near the lake for your dates.

What Upper Gresham Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Clear water11.3 ft of visibility
Boat launch1 documented ramp
Fishing5 species recorded
Deep water32 ft surveyed max depth

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Low 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 Upper Gresham 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.

Compare swimming lakes near Minocqua →

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Water quality measurements for Upper Gresham Lake

These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Upper Gresham 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 11.3 ft. Phosphorus 13.9 µg/L. TSI 42.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	11.3ft	Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.
Total phosphorus	13.9µg/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.	42	Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Upper Gresham Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

DNR fisheries survey

Wisconsin DNR rates Panfish as abundant on Upper Gresham Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Upper Gresham Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

WI DNR Lake Profile

Authoritative data from the Wisconsin DNR LakePages. Monitored by volunteers since 1990. 5 stations on file (most recent sample 2025).

DNR Assessment

Excellent · Deep Lowland lake

Trophic State Index 45 (mesotrophic) · 5-year average

Fish Species (DNR-rated)

Panfish(Abundant)Musky(Common)Largemouth Bass(Common)Walleye(Common)Northern Pike(Present)

Contour map (PDF) →Full WI DNR LakePage →Water quality stations →

Lake Details

Max depth

32 ft

Surface area

362 acres

Public access

Yes

Listed by Wisconsin DNR

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

3 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Shoreline

5.3 mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,604 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Recreation & Access

Boat Landings

Yes

Public Access

Upper Gresham 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 Upper Gresham Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Upper Gresham 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 Upper Gresham Lake

Prices for Oct 9–11, 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 Upper Gresham Lake’s readings

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Fish Species

Musky Panfish Largemouth Bass Northern Pike Walleye

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Upper Gresham Lake

Invasive & Introduced Species

Red chips are ecologically harmful invasive species. Gray chips are stocked or introduced fish that aren't a current ecological concern.

Chinese Mystery SnailEurasian Water-MilfoilRusty Crayfish

Water Quality Trend: Stable

Based on 6 years of monitoring (2021–2026).

Water clarity
Improving
5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening
+0.75 µg/L/yr6 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in Vilas County

Middle Gresham Lake—View →Jag Lake—View →Lower Gresham Lake—View →Diamond Lake—View →Day LakeOligotrophic—View →Rudolph Lake—View →

Frequently asked questions about Upper Gresham Lake

Where is Upper Gresham Lake?: Upper Gresham 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 Upper Gresham Lake?: Upper Gresham Lake in Vilas County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 11.3 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 13.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 32 ft. Surface area: 362 acres.
Is Upper Gresham Lake safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Upper Gresham Lake?: Upper Gresham Lake has a maximum depth of 32 feet. The lake covers 362 acres.
What fish are in Upper Gresham Lake?: Fish species found in Upper Gresham Lake include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike, Walleye. Upper Gresham Lake is located in Vilas County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Upper Gresham Lake?: Wisconsin DNR rates Panfish as abundant on Upper Gresham Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Upper Gresham Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Upper Gresham Lake?: Upper Gresham Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Upper Gresham Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Upper Gresham Lake?: Upper Gresham 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.

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Where this data comes from

37 measurements from 2 monitoring stations, 2021–2026. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWIDNR_WQX37 samples · 2021–2026

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)

Fish and recreation data from Wisconsin DNR Lakes

Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory