Clearest Lakes by Water Clarity

The 50 lakes with the deepest Secchi visibility — how far down you can see, measured in feet with a black-and-white disk lowered from the surface. Ranked across our 12-state dataset.

The clearest lake on the index is Adams Lake in Vilas County, WI, at about 100 feet of Secchi clarity. The top 50 draw from 6 states, led by Michigan with 17 — deep, low-nutrient northern lakes dominate, because clarity falls fast once phosphorus and algae rise.

Readings come from EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys and state monitoring programs. Clarity describes optics, not bacteria — it does not replace beach-specific E. coli advisories your state health department issues separately.

State-specific lists: Clearest lakes in Minnesota →Clearest lakes in Wisconsin →Clearest lakes in Illinois →Clearest lakes in Michigan →Clearest lakes in Iowa →Clearest lakes in Ohio →Clearest lakes in New York →Clearest lakes in Missouri →Clearest lakes in Indiana →Clearest lakes in North Dakota →Clearest lakes in South Dakota →

Top 3 Clearest Lakes

#1A

Adams Lake

Vilas County, WI

Secchi clarity 100 ft, Grade A.

#2A

St James Pit Lake

St. Louis County, MN

Secchi clarity 47.6 ft, Grade A. Max depth 381 ft.

#3A

Clear Lake

Rock County, WI

Secchi clarity 37.5 ft, Grade A.

Rank	Lake	County	State	Clarity	Grade	Max Depth
1	Adams Lake	Vilas	WI	100 ft	A	-
2	St James Pit Lake	St. Louis	MN	47.6 ft	A	381 ft
3	Clear Lake	Rock	WI	37.5 ft	A	-
4	Bear Lake Southeast Basin	Kalkaska	MI	36.5 ft	A	-
5	Higgins Lake East Basin	Roscommon	MI	35 ft	A	-
6	Higgins Lake Northwest Basin	Roscommon	MI	34.5 ft	A	-
7	Whitefish Bay Deep Lake	Chippewa	MI	34.4 ft	A	-
8	Higgins Lake	Roscommon	MI	34 ft	A	-
9	Bear Lake	Kalkaska	MI	33 ft	A	-
10	Crystal Lake	Benzie	MI	32 ft	A	-
11	Silver Lake	Cheboygan	MI	32 ft	A	-
12	Caribou Lake	Itasca	MN	31 ft	A	152 ft
13	Hunter Lake	Cass	MN	31 ft	A	48 ft
14	Spiritwood Lake	Stutsman	ND	31 ft	A	54.7 ft
15	Wazee Lake	Jackson	WI	30 ft	A	350 ft
16	Clearwater Lake	Cook	MN	29 ft	A	65 ft
17	Three Island Lake	Itasca	MN	29 ft	A	66 ft
18	Black Oak Lake	Vilas	WI	28.5 ft	A	85 ft
19	Holland Lake	Dakota	MN	27.9 ft	A	55 ft
20	Millsite Lake	Jefferson	NY	27.9 ft	A	-
21	Kerbs Lake	Otter Tail	MN	27.7 ft	A	-
22	Torch Lake	Antrim	MI	27.5 ft	A	-
23	Skaneateles Lake	Onondaga	NY	27.4 ft	A	-
24	Wheeler Lake	Oconto	WI	27 ft	A	35 ft
25	Bardon Lake	Douglas	WI	27 ft	A	102 ft
26	Avery Lake	Montmorency	MI	27 ft	A	-
27	Lake George	Warren	NY	26.7 ft	A	-
28	Little Mcdonald Lake	Otter Tail	MN	26.5 ft	A	109 ft
29	Saxon Fall Flowage Lake	Iron	WI	26.2 ft	B	-
30	Lake Sapphire	Missaukee	MI	26.2 ft	A	-
31	Oquaga Lake	Broome	NY	26.2 ft	A	-
32	South Lake	Cook	MN	26 ft	A	140 ft
33	Chancellor Lake	Mason	MI	26 ft	A	-
34	Sealion Lake	Florence	WI	25.6 ft	A	-
35	Diversey Harbor Lake	Cook	IL	25.6 ft	A	-
36	Brush Lake	Newaygo	MI	25.5 ft	A	-
37	Cruiser Lake	St. Louis	MN	25.4 ft	A	91 ft
38	Bad Medicine Lake	Becker	MN	25 ft	A	84 ft
39	Serpent Lake	Crow Wing	MN	25 ft	A	65 ft
40	Pine Lake	Waukesha	WI	25 ft	A	85 ft
41	Square Lake Central Basin; Bloomfield Township	Oakland	MI	25 ft	A	-
42	Lake Ottawa	Iron	MI	25 ft	A	-
43	Chancellor Lake Central Basin	Mason	MI	25 ft	A	-
44	Big Cormorant Lake	Becker	MN	24.8 ft	A	75 ft
45	Indian Lake	Putnam	NY	24.8 ft	A	-
46	Lake Owen	Bayfield	WI	24.6 ft	A	95 ft
47	Iron Chief Complex Lake	St. Louis	MN	24.5 ft	A	262.1 ft
48	Hubbard Lake	Alcona	MI	24.5 ft	A	-
49	Eagle Lake	Essex	NY	24.3 ft	A	-
50	Geneva Lake Site B	Walworth	WI	24.1 ft	A	135 ft

Frequently Asked Questions

Adams Lake in Vilas County, WI, has the deepest measured Secchi clarity on our index — you can see roughly 100 feet down. It carries an overall water-quality grade of A.

Clarity is measured with a Secchi disk — a weighted black-and-white disk lowered on a line until it can no longer be seen. The depth in feet at which it vanishes is the Secchi reading. Deeper readings mean clearer water. It is the oldest and most widely collected water-quality measurement, which is why it anchors lake clarity rankings.

Clarity is driven by what is suspended in the water: algae (fed by phosphorus), sediment from runoff and shoreline erosion, and tannins from wetlands. The clearest lakes tend to be deep, spring-fed or seepage lakes with low nutrient inputs and protected, forested shorelines. Shallow lakes ringed by farmland or development almost always read murkier.

Usually, but not always. Clarity tracks closely with low algae and low phosphorus — the same factors behind harmful algal blooms. But a Secchi reading does not measure E. coli, bacteria, or chemical contaminants. Always check your state agency for current beach advisories before swimming a specific spot.

Cleanest Lakes →Deepest Lakes →Largest Lakes →Worst Water Quality →Best Fishing →

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