Cranberry Lake (Vilas, Oneida County)
Waterbody ID (WBIC): 1603800 — permanent page /lakes/1603800/.
Cranberry Lake is in Vilas, Oneida County; records show 924 acres and 1 DNR access-site record.
- Size
- 924 acres
- Lake type
- DRAINAGE
- Max depth
- 23 ft
- Mean depth
- 9 ft
- 1 documented public access site record (DNR access inventory)
- 6 fish species/groups with abundance categories (DNR lake page)
- Summer Secchi clarity median 4.1 ft (field measurements)
- Official DNR depth map available (PDF)
Back to results Show on map Depth map (PDF) Check current DNR regulations
Plan your visit
- Lake directory: public landing — Yes
- Lake directory: public beach — No
- Lake directory: public park — No
- DNR public-access inventory: 1 documented access site record
- No site qualifies for per-site Directions: the reviewed association or a published coordinate is missing, which is a data state, never evidence about access.
Each statement is bounded to its named source; absence of a record is never evidence of no access. The DNR access database may lag reality; posted signs at the landing are authoritative.
Verify at the DNR public boat access program page.
Nearby facilities
- LOWER NINE MILE BOAT LANDING — Boating site; ≈3.8 km from the lake shoreline (straight line).
- HWY 70 PULL-OFF — Info site / fee station; ≈3.8 km from the lake shoreline (straight line).
- ANVIL TRAILHEAD #2 — Trailhead; ≈5.7 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); fee charged.
- ANVIL BL — Boating site; ≈6.8 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); fee charged.
- ANVIL TRAILHEAD #1 — Trailhead; ≈6.8 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); fee charged.
- 23 more inventoried sites within 15 km.
USFS Chequamegon-Nicolet constructed recreation sites only; straight-line distance is geographic context, not a travel route.
Documented public access sites — load details
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Fishing
The DNR lake page publishes 6 fish species/groups with abundance categories — categories are source labels, never a population count.
DNR fish labels: Walleye—Abundant; Musky—Common; Panfish—Common; not population counts.
Fisheries survey population estimates are published for this lake; survey estimates are historical point-in-time studies and are never compared or ranked here.
- Musky reproductive status (DNR mapped): Natural reproduction plus stocking (Cat. 2)
Fishing limits — 2026-2027 season: 19 normalized rows across 19 species entries. Normalized from the DNR ruleset retrieved 2026-08-04. Source text remains authoritative.
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Fisheries survey estimates — load details
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2026-2027 retained fishing rules: 19 published rows for 19 species; effective through 2027-03-07. Check current DNR rules.
Normalized fishing-regulation rows — load details
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Water and setting
- Field-measured summer Secchi clarity: median 4.1 ft from 63 samples, latest sample 2025-08-30
- Satellite clarity estimate: 3.89 ft (2017) — a remote-sensing estimate, kept separate from field measurements
- Lake directory clarity class: Low
Official DNR depth map (PDF) — Historical lake map; not for navigation. Link checked 2026-07-16.
- AIS record: Chinese mystery snail — Verified
- AIS record: Eurasian watermilfoil — Verified (vouchered), latest documented 2001-07-01
- AIS record: Rusty crayfish — Verified, latest documented 1960-12-31
Occurrence records come from a non-exhaustive DNR inventory; a record documents presence at observation time and a missing record is never evidence of absence.
- Public-land proximity (GIS proxy, not access evidence): none mapped within the search cap; ≈0% of shoreline buffer
- Shoreline development (landcover proxy, 2025 source): ≈17.7% developed land within 300 m, ≈2.2% impervious
- Road proximity (TIGER proxy, 2025 source): nearest local road or city street ≈0 m; ≈3.1 km of road per km² within 1 km
- Priority Navigable Waterway — basis: musky area, walleye area
Designations are legally defined DNR records shown as their sources state them; no composite rating is implied.
Measured and satellite clarity records — load details
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Aquatic invasive species records — load details
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Data & sources
Published data families
- Fish species and abundance (DNR lake pages)
- Fishing regulations (normalized snapshot)
- Directory access facts (landing, beach, park)
- Public access site inventory
- Satellite water clarity estimate
- Field-measured Secchi clarity
- Fisheries survey population estimates
- Aquatic invasive species occurrences
Original records: Wisconsin DNR lake page.
Missing values are unpublished, never zero; each fact above is bounded to its named source and date. Full sourcing detail: Data & methods.