West Thumb Lake
Teton County, WyomingView mapDirections
Wyoming DEQ publishes the water-quality measurements for West Thumb Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Limited data
West Thumb Lake in Teton County, Wyoming has water-quality measurements published by Wyoming DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 31.2 ft visibility.
West Thumb Lake is a lake in Teton County, Wyoming. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Wyoming DEQ, last sampled 2013-09-09. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What West Thumb Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water31.2 ft of visibility
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether West Thumb Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for West Thumb Lake
These are the measurements Wyoming DEQ publishes for West Thumb 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 31.2 ft down. TSI 28.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 31.2ft | 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. | 28 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about West Thumb Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Stays via Stay22
Stays near West Thumb Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near West Thumb Lake in Teton County, Wyoming — 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 West Thumb Lake
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Fishing West Thumb Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2012–2013). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Nearby Lakes in Teton County
Frequently asked questions about West Thumb Lake
Where is West Thumb Lake?
- West Thumb Lake is a lake in Teton County, Wyoming. Its water-quality measurements are published by Wyoming DEQ and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of West Thumb Lake?
- West Thumb Lake in Teton County, Wyoming has water-quality measurements published by Wyoming DEQ, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 31.2 ft visibility.
Is West Thumb Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Explore West Thumb Lake across LakeQuality
4 documented falls within 19.5 mi, nearest Lewis Falls
4 thermal springs within 14.1 mi, nearest Steamboat Springs
Species activity outlook by water temperature and season
Where to stay at Wyoming's top lakes, each with its readings
Wyoming's cleanest lakes, ranked on agency measurements
Planning a trip around Yellowstone?
West Thumb Lake is about 11 miles from Yellowstone National Park. Crowds there swing hard by season, so the month you pick changes both how busy the park is and what lodging costs.
Best time to visit Yellowstone →More lakes in Wyoming
Other Lakes in Wyoming
Oligotrophic Lakes in Wyoming
Where this data comes from
8 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2012–2013. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- National Park Service Water Resources Division
11NPSWRD_WQX8 samples · 2012–2013
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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.