WI · ranked by public data

Wisconsin Lakes with the Most Public Access

Finding water is easy; finding a legal place to launch is the real question. These are the lakes with the most verified public access points — boat landings, launches, parks, and shore fishing sites — counted from agency records, not guessed from satellite photos.

966 Wisconsin lakes are at least 50 acres with a verified public access point. Updated July 2026.

966lakes are at least 50 acres with a verified public access point

Lake Winnebago#1 at 20 verified public access points

Vilas Countymost qualifying lakes (104)

Methodology

How we rank Wisconsin's lakes with the most public access

Ranked by the number of verified public access points on each lake: boat launches, landings, parks, beaches, and marinas open to the public.
Shore fishing access is flagged where documented but does not add to the count.
Lakes under 50 acres — or without documented acreage — are excluded from rankings.
Access inventories favor well-documented water — a lake with unrecorded informal access will undercount.
Verify fees, seasons, and ramp conditions before you go; access details change.

Every number on this page comes from the same public agency records that power each lake's profile, and the list is recomputed as that data updates — it cannot silently go stale the way a hand-written top-10 does.

The ranking

Wisconsin's lakes with the most public access, ranked

120 sites
131,939 acres
Winnebago County, WI
Lake Winnebago
enhancedDepth mapWater data
44.00, -88.43131,939 acres | 21 ft max20 public access pointsCatfish, Panfish
20 verified public access points · 131,939 acres, 21 ft max depth
215 sites
23,173 acres
Adams County, WI
Petenwell Lake
enhancedDepth mapWater data
44.15, -89.9523,173 acres | 44 ft max15 public access pointsPanfish, Walleye
15 verified public access points · 23,173 acres, 44 ft max depth
315 sites
7,197 acres
Columbia County, WI
Lake Wisconsin
enhancedDepth mapDNR impairmentWater data
43.36, -89.647,197 acres | 24 ft max15 public access pointsLargemouth Bass, Northern Pike
15 verified public access points · 7,197 acres, 24 ft max depth · DNR impairment listed
412 sites
9,781 acres
Dane County, WI
Lake Mendota
enhancedDepth mapShore accessDNR impairmentWater data
43.11, -89.419,781 acres | 83 ft max12 public access pointsPanfish, Catfish
12 verified public access points · 9,781 acres, 83 ft max depth · DNR impairment listed
510 sites
13,955 acres
Juneau County, WI
Castle Rock Lake
enhancedDepth mapWater data
43.94, -89.9713,955 acres | 35 ft max10 public access pointsPanfish, Walleye
10 verified public access points · 13,955 acres, 35 ft max depth
69 sites
6,215 acres
Shawano County, WI
Shawano Lake
enhancedDepth mapStockedDNR impairmentWater data
44.81, -88.526,215 acres | 40 ft max9 public access pointsNorthern Pike, Largemouth Bass
9 verified public access points · 6,215 acres, 40 ft max depth · DNR impairment listed
78 sites
7,920 acres
Green Lake County, WI
Green Lake
enhancedDepth mapDNR impairmentWater data
43.81, -89.017,920 acres | 236 ft max8 public access pointsCatfish, Smallmouth Bass
8 verified public access points · 7,920 acres, 236 ft max depth · DNR impairment listed
88 sites
6,718 acres
Dodge County, WI
Beaver Dam Lake
enhancedDepth mapShore accessDNR impairmentWater data
43.50, -88.876,718 acres | 7 ft max8 public access pointsLargemouth Bass, Northern Pike
8 verified public access points · 6,718 acres, 7 ft max depth · DNR impairment listed
98 sites
2,897 acres
Bayfield County, WI
Namekagon Lake
enhancedDepth mapStockedShore accessWater data
46.21, -91.062,897 acres | 51 ft max8 public access pointsWalleye, Northern Pike
8 verified public access points · 2,897 acres, 51 ft max depth
108 sites
2,881 acres
Chippewa County, WI
Holcombe Flowage
enhancedDepth mapStockedWater data
45.26, -91.152,881 acres | 62 ft max8 public access pointsWalleye, Largemouth Bass
8 verified public access points · 2,881 acres, 62 ft max depth

Rank	Lake	County	Public access	Acres	Max depth
11	Lake Onalaska	La Crosse	7 sites	8,391	40 ft
12	Rice Lake	Barron	7 sites	859	19 ft
13	Upper Saint Croix Lake	Douglas	7 sites	828	22 ft
14	Lake Chippewa	Sawyer	6 sites	14,593	92 ft
15	Lake Poygan	Winnebago	6 sites	14,024	11 ft
16	Lake Wissota	Chippewa	6 sites	6,148	64 ft
17	Lake Geneva	Walworth	6 sites	5,401	135 ft
18	Lake Kegonsaimpaired	Dane	6 sites	3,200	32 ft
19	Rainbow Flowage	Oneida	6 sites	3,153	28 ft
20	Shell Lake	Washburn	6 sites	2,513	36 ft
21	Beaver Dam Lake	Barron	6 sites	1,163	106 ft
22	White Potato Lake	Oconto	6 sites	1,023	11 ft
23	Turtle-Flambeau Flowageimpaired	Iron	5 sites	12,942	50 ft
24	Pelican Lake	Oneida	5 sites	3,545	39 ft
25	Lake Mononaimpaired	Dane	5 sites	3,359	74 ft

By county

Lakes with the most public access by county

Vilas County (104)

Trout Lake · 4 sites

Oneida County (90)

Rainbow Flowage · 6 sites

Washburn County (63)

Shell Lake · 6 sites

Burnett County (58)

Yellow Lake · 3 sites

Polk County (47)

Balsam Lake · 4 sites

Sawyer County (41)

Lake Chippewa · 6 sites

Barron County (39)

Rice Lake · 7 sites

Forest County (33)

Pine Lake · 4 sites

Bayfield County (32)

Namekagon Lake · 8 sites

Oconto County (27)

White Potato Lake · 6 sites

Price County (27)

Butternut Lake · 4 sites

Langlade County (23)

Upper Post Lake · 2 sites

FAQ

Wisconsin lake records FAQ

Which lake in Wisconsin has the most public access points?

Lake Winnebago — Lake Winnebago in Winnebago County has the most verified public access points of any Wisconsin lake we track, with 20.

How many Wisconsin lakes are at least 50 acres with a verified public access point?

966 Wisconsin lakes currently are at least 50 acres with a verified public access pointin LakeList's aggregation of public DNR records.

Where do these numbers come from?

Every figure is drawn from public agency data — Wisconsin DNR lake records and monitoring programs — as aggregated by LakeList. Nothing on this list is estimated or crowd-sourced, and each lake links to a full profile showing the underlying records.

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Source data: Wisconsin DNR lake and monitoring records as aggregated by LakeList. Figures reflect the most recent documented values, not new surveys, and conditions change — verify access and rules before you go. Lake outlines are shoreline shapes from LakeList and the USGS National Hydrography Dataset; they illustrate a lake's form and are not depth or navigation charts.