Where is Upper Vermillion Lake?

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

How deep is Upper Vermillion Lake?

Upper Vermillion Lake has a maximum depth of 9 feet. The lake covers 91 acres.

What fish are in Upper Vermillion Lake?

Fish species found in Upper Vermillion Lake include Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike. Upper Vermillion Lake is located in Barron County, Wisconsin.

Are there boat ramps on Upper Vermillion Lake?

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

Can I fish at Upper Vermillion Lake?

Upper Vermillion 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 Vermillion Lake

Barron County, Wisconsin91 acresView map Directions

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

Clarity

1.7 ft

Murkier than most

Secchi · sampled 2024

Phosphorus

149 µg/L

More phosphorus than most

Measured by Wisconsin DNR

Max depth

9 ft

Bathymetric survey

Area

91 acres

Surface area

Type

Hypereutrophic

Trophic class

Trend

Improving

7 years of samples

Hypereutrophic
Impaired · Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)
Curly-Leaf Pondweed
9 ft max depth
Public access

See the measurements Directions Where to stay

Upper Vermillion Lake in Barron County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 149 µg/L. Maximum depth: 9 ft. Surface area: 91 acres.

Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Upper Vermillion Lake. DNR survey details →

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Upper Vermillion Lake is a 91-acre highly nutrient-loaded hypereutrophic lake in Barron County, Wisconsin with a maximum depth of 9 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 3 documented fish species including Panfish, Largemouth Bass, and Northern Pike. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 27 other monitored lakes in Barron County, Upper Vermillion Lake ranks #28 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wisconsin DNR Surface Water, last sampled 2024-08-31. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Upper Vermillion Lake covers about 91 acres in Barron County. It has one public boat landing. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Upper Vermillion Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.

What Upper Vermillion Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

Boat launch1 documented ramp
Fishing3 species recorded

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Recreation use not supported

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. Upper Vermillion Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5R) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Upper Vermillion 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 Vermillion Lake

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

Very murky, less than 1.7 ft of visibility. Phosphorus 149 µg/L. TSI 73.

Water quality readings
Measure	Reading	Where it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)	1.7ft	Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.
Total phosphorus	149µg/L	Poor 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.	73	Hypereutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Very high nutrients, dense algae, poor clarity

Ask about Upper Vermillion Lake

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

DNR fisheries survey

Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Upper Vermillion Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Upper Vermillion Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 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. 1 station on file (most recent sample 2024).

DNR Assessment

Poor · Shallow Lowland lake

Trophic State Index 72 (hypereutrophic) · 5-year average

Fish Species (DNR-rated)

Panfish(Common)Largemouth Bass(Present)Northern Pike(Present)

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

Lake Details

Max depth

9 ft

Surface area

91 acres

Public access

Yes

Listed by Wisconsin DNR

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

5 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Shoreline

2.1 mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,171 ft

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

Recreation & Access

Boat Landings

Yes

Public Access

Upper Vermillion 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 Vermillion Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Upper Vermillion Lake in Barron 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. The water-quality readings cover nutrients and algae, not lodging. Cabins and rentals around Upper Vermillion Lake are listed below.

Top-rated places to stay near Upper Vermillion 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 →

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Fish Species

Panfish Largemouth Bass Northern Pike

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

Fishing Upper Vermillion 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.

Curly-Leaf Pondweed

Water Quality Trend: Improving

Based on 7 years of monitoring (2020–2026).

Water clarity
Improving
7 years
Phosphorus
Improving
-7.5 µg/L/yr7 years

See year-by-year chart →

EPA Impairment Status

Upper Vermillion Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 5R).

Causes of impairment

Nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen)

Designated uses not supporting: Aquatic life, Recreation.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit WI10004481 · Official waterbody report

Nearby Lakes in Barron County

Peterson Lake—View →Lower Vermillion Lake9 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →Buck Lake—View →Duck Lake—View →Big Dummy Lake12 ft clear · Mesotrophic—View →Chain Lakes—View →

Frequently asked questions about Upper Vermillion Lake

Where is Upper Vermillion Lake?: Upper Vermillion Lake is a lake in Barron 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 Vermillion Lake?: Upper Vermillion Lake in Barron County, Wisconsin has water-quality measurements published by Wisconsin DNR, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 1.7 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 149 µg/L. Maximum depth: 9 ft. Surface area: 91 acres.
Is Upper Vermillion Lake safe to swim in?: Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Upper Vermillion Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 5R) for nutrients (phosphorus, nitrogen). Check local advisories before you swim.
How deep is Upper Vermillion Lake?: Upper Vermillion Lake has a maximum depth of 9 feet. The lake covers 91 acres.
What fish are in Upper Vermillion Lake?: Fish species found in Upper Vermillion Lake include Panfish, Largemouth Bass, Northern Pike. Upper Vermillion Lake is located in Barron County, Wisconsin.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Upper Vermillion Lake?: Wisconsin DNR lists Panfish as common on Upper Vermillion Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Upper Vermillion Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 7 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 Vermillion Lake?: Upper Vermillion Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Upper Vermillion Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Upper Vermillion Lake?: Upper Vermillion 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 Upper Vermillion Lake across LakeQuality

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State Parks Near Upper Vermillion Lake

Straight Lake State Park

State Park · 23.2 mi

Other Lakes in Wisconsin

Largon Lake

Polk County · 2.5 ft

Bashaw Lake

Burnett County · 3 ft

Polk County · 3.7 ft

Polk County · 3.5 ft

Polk County · 5 ft

Polk County · 2.5 ft

Hypereutrophic Lakes in Wisconsin

Dairyland Reservoir Pepin Lake Duck Lake Unnamed Lake

Where this data comes from

35 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

Wisconsin Department of Natural ResourcesWIDNR_WQX35 samples · 2020–2024

Analytical methods

Phosphorus by Colorimetry

Monitoring station identifiers (1)

WIDNR_WQX-033195

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

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

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