Best Swimming Lakes in Wisconsin

The best lakes for swimming in Wisconsin. Clear, low-nutrient water, public beach access, ranked on clarity and algae readings.

Recreation rankings need public-access, beach and launch, depth, and fish-survey data, which currently cover Wisconsin lakes. Water-quality readings themselves span all United States (49 states), Canada (Ontario, Québec, Nova Scotia, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador), and 38 other country hubs. LakeQuality covers.

Lakes

Wisconsin

Swimming Boating Boat Ramps Kayaking Ice Fishing Camping

Rank	Lake	County	State	Clarity	Beaches	Area
1	Green Lake	Green Lake	WI	13.5 ft	3	7,920 acres
2	Geneva Lake	Walworth	WI	21 ft	6	5,401 acres
3	Lake St Croix	St. Croix	WI	5.6 ft	6	7,696 acres
4	Clear Lake	Oneida	WI	—	2	873 acres
5	Long Lake	Fond du Lac	WI	9.1 ft	2	423 acres
6	Rock Lake	Jefferson	WI	12 ft	2	1,365 acres

Frequently Asked Questions

Which lakes are best for swimming in Wisconsin?

The best swimming lakes have low phosphorus and chlorophyll-a readings and high water clarity, which means little algae and a lower risk of harmful blooms. Whether a lake is safe to swim in on a given day is a call for the state water agency and the county health department. All lakes on this list have public beach access and low nutrient and algae readings.

How is swimming safety determined?

It is not determined here. Each lake's nutrient and algae readings — total phosphorus, total nitrogen, chlorophyll-a, and turbidity — are shown beside the EPA National Lakes Assessment 2022 condition class for that lake's own ecoregion, so a reading is compared against the lakes it would naturally resemble. LakeQuality publishes no letter grade. The lakes on this list carry the lowest nutrient and algae readings and so the lowest risk of a harmful algae bloom. The readings cover nutrients and algae only. They are blind to mercury, PFAS and bacteria, so they are not a swimming clearance and not a fish-consumption clearance. Whether a lake is safe to swim in on a given day is a call for the state water agency and the county health department; check their advisory before you get in.