Horsehead Lake
Vilas County, Wisconsin · WBIC 2953100
Size
234 acres
Max depth
24 ft
DNR lake type
Complex, Cool, dark water color
Water clarity
10 ft
Clear, measured Aug 2024
A cool-water lake type: the DNR groups it with lakes that stay cooler through summer. This describes the lake type in general, not this lake in particular.
Outline
Numbered dots are boat landings; tap one for directions. The list below has the same numbers. Drawn from the DNR's 24K hydrography (surveyed 1981), so the shape is approximate and a landing can sit a little off the shore. Open the DNR lake map.
Water clarity
10 ft Secchi depthClear
Last measured Aug 27, 2024. 169 readings on record, 1991 to 2024.
Typical summer clarity (June to September): 10.8 ft, clear, from 40 readings (2012 to 2024).
Secchi depth is how far down a white disk stays visible. A bigger number means clearer water. Clear means a Secchi depth of 10 feet or more, moderate 5 to 10 feet, low under 5 feet.
Wisconsin DNR water monitoring (volunteer and staff), via the Water Quality Portal; station HORSEHEAD LAKE - DEEP HOLE. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
Water temperature
Last measured Aug 27, 2024, too long ago to show as the current temperature.
A typical year Modeled estimate
- Ice goes outabout Apr 25 (Apr 16 to May 1)
- Surface reaches 48°Fabout May 2 (Apr 25 to May 10)
- Surface reaches 64°Fabout Jun 1 (May 28 to Jun 7)
- June surface68°F, usually 66 to 69°F
- July surface73°F, usually 72 to 75°F
- August surface70°F, usually 69 to 72°F
Mixes regularly through the summer instead of forming a warm top layer.
A computer model of this lake's typical weather and water, built from 15 years, 2005 to 2019. Ranges show the middle half of years. The model was not calibrated against measured temperatures for this lake. It is an estimate, not a measurement.
Measured: Wisconsin DNR via the Water Quality Portal (checked Oct 23, 2026). Modeled: U.S. Geological Survey lake temperature data release (doi:10.5066/P9CA6XP8).
Today at the lake
Forecast: National Weather Service (no endorsement implied). Sunrise, sunset and moon phase are calculated. The moon phase can be a day off.
Fish recorded near this lake
- Muskellunge Esox masquinongy2001 to 2006; 2 records
Recorded in open fish survey and museum records (GBIF). A record shows a fish was found near this lake in that year, not that it is there now, and says nothing about how many. Most coordinates are rounded to about 1 km, so a record is attached only when one lake is the clear match.
Open fish survey and museum records from GBIF; datasets are listed on the sources page. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
Boat landings
- 1Horsehead Lake RampBoat ramp · Concrete surface · State(dnr)
Directions - 2Little Horsehead Lake AccessBoat ramp · Gravel surface · Township
Directions
Wisconsin DNR public boat access sites. Checked Oct 23, 2026.
More lakes in Vilas County
- Little Horsehead Lake0.8 miles away
- Armour Lake0.9 miles away
- Mermaid Lake1.0 miles away
- Oxbow Lake1.7 miles away
- Stateline Lake1.8 miles away
- North Crab Lake1.9 miles away
Where this comes from
- Size, depth and lake typeWisconsin DNR lake classifications, checked Oct 23, 2026
- OutlineWisconsin DNR 24K hydrography, checked Oct 23, 2026
- Regulations linkWisconsin DNR fishing regulations (linked, not restated), checked Oct 23, 2026
- Boat landingsWisconsin DNR public boat access sites, checked Oct 23, 2026
- Water clarityWisconsin DNR water monitoring, via the Water Quality Portal, checked Oct 23, 2026
- Typical-year temperatureU.S. Geological Survey lake temperature model (modeled estimate), checked Oct 23, 2026
- Fish recordedOpen fish survey and museum records, via GBIF, checked Oct 23, 2026
- VHS statusWisconsin DNR VHS status by watershed, checked Oct 24, 2026
- Depth map linkWisconsin DNR lake maps list, checked Oct 24, 2026
See data sources for what each source covers, and about for how the numbers are matched to lakes.
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