Where is Upper Red Lake?

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

How deep is Upper Red Lake?

Upper Red Lake has a maximum depth of 15 feet. The lake covers 195 acres.

Are there boat ramps on Upper Red Lake?

Upper Red Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Upper Red Lake, Gresham Lions Club Park. Public access is listed as yes.

Can I fish at Upper Red Lake?

Upper Red Lake has 2 documented boat landings 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 Red Lake

Shawano County, Wisconsin195 acresView map Directions

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

Clarity

7.5 ft

Typical for Wisconsin

Secchi · sampled 2022

Phosphorus

39.2 µg/L

More phosphorus than most

Measured by Wisconsin DNR

Max depth

15 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

195 acres

Surface area

Type

Eutrophic

Trophic class

Eutrophic
Curly-Leaf Pondweed
15 ft max depth
Public access
Limited data

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Upper Red Lake in Shawano County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 39.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 15 ft. Surface area: 195 acres.

Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as common on Upper Red Lake. DNR survey details →

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Upper Red Lake is a 195-acre productive, nutrient-rich eutrophic lake in Shawano County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 15 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 6 documented fish species including Musky, Panfish, and Largemouth Bass. Public access is available with 2 public boat landings. Compared to the 20 other monitored lakes in Shawano County, Upper Red Lake ranks #18 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2022-07-17. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Upper Red Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Boat launch2 documented ramps
Fishing6 species recorded

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Limited data

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 Red 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.

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Water quality measurements for Upper Red Lake

These are the measurements Wisconsin DNR publishes for Upper Red Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft. Phosphorus 39.2 µg/L. TSI 53.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	7.5ft	Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.
Total phosphorus	39.2µg/L	Fair 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.	53	Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity

Ask about Upper Red Lake

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

DNR fisheries survey

Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as common on Upper Red Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Upper Red Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is improving. 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. 2 stations on file (most recent sample 2022).

Fish Species (DNR-rated)

Musky(Common)Largemouth Bass(Common)Panfish(Present)Smallmouth Bass(Present)Northern Pike(Present)Trout(Present)

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

Lake Details

Max depth

15 ft

Surface area

195 acres

Public access

Yes

Listed by Wisconsin DNR

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

101 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Shoreline

4.3 mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

925 ft

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

Recreation & Access

Boat Landings

Yes

Public Access

Upper Red LakePublic
Gresham Lions Club ParkSemi-private

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 Red Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Upper Red Lake in Shawano 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 Red Lake

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Follow Upper Red Lake’s readings

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Fish Species

Musky Panfish Largemouth Bass Smallmouth Bass Northern Pike Trout

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

Fishing Upper Red 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.

Banded Mystery SnailChinese Mystery SnailCurly-Leaf PondweedEurasian Water-MilfoilHybrid Eurasian / Northern Water-Milfoil

Water quality readings over time

3 seasons of samples on record (2021–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.

Water clarity
Stable
3 years
Phosphorus
Improving
-0.96 µg/L/yr3 years
Chlorophyll-a
Stable
0 µg/L/yr2 years

Regulated Pollution Sources Nearby

1 EPA-permitted facility operate within about 5 miles of Upper Red Lake under Clean Water Act (NPDES) discharge permits. 1 facility has a reported Clean Water Act violation in the past three years.

Gresham Wastewater Treatment Facility
Gresham · 1.6 mi away · NPDES WI0022781
Recent violation

Facilities permitted to discharge under the Clean Water Act within ~5 miles; proximity does not by itself mean a facility affects this lake. Source: EPA ECHO (ICIS-NPDES), as of 2026-07.

Nearby Lakes in Shawano County

Sams Lake11 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →Lower Red Lake—View →Mission Lake17.5 ft clear · Oligotrophic—View →Malone Lake13.5 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →Bealeau Lake11.5 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →Beauleau Lake9.5 ft clear—View →

Frequently asked questions about Upper Red Lake

Where is Upper Red Lake?: Upper Red Lake is a lake in Shawano 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 Red Lake?: Upper Red Lake in Shawano County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 39.2 µg/L. Maximum depth: 15 ft. Surface area: 195 acres.
Is Upper Red Lake safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Upper Red Lake?: Upper Red Lake has a maximum depth of 15 feet. The lake covers 195 acres.
What fish are in Upper Red Lake?: Fish species found in Upper Red Lake include Musky, Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Northern Pike, Trout. Upper Red Lake is located in Shawano County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Upper Red Lake?: Wisconsin DNR lists Musky as common on Upper Red Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Upper Red Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 3 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Upper Red Lake?: Upper Red Lake has 2 documented boat landings in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Upper Red Lake, Gresham Lions Club Park. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Upper Red Lake?: Upper Red Lake has 2 documented boat landings 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

9 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWIDNR_WQX9 samples · 2022

Analytical methods

Phosphorus by Colorimetry

Monitoring station identifiers (1)

WIDNR_WQX-10012242

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.