Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake pulls a D on the LakeGrade rubric — phosphorus loading and limited clarity hold it below the Wisconsin average. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

Eutrophic conditions are the baseline here: clarity drops noticeably in late summer, and dissolved oxygen near the bottom can become a concern. Yellowstone Lake is a shallow lake at 14 ft maximum depth, which means it warms quickly, mixes constantly, and amplifies nutrient inputs. The lake's 453 acres and partial shoreline records put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Within the 3 graded lakes of Lafayette County, Yellowstone Lake sits at rank 3, near the bottom of the county list.

An invasive species record — Curly-Leaf Pondweed — has been logged at Yellowstone Lake; Wisconsin DNR maintains the official infested-waters list. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 6 documented species — a notable draw for Wisconsin anglers. A documented public access point at Yellowstone Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.