Butternut Lake (Forest County)

Waterbody ID (WBIC): 692400 — permanent page /lakes/692400/.

Butternut Lake is in Forest County; records show 1,246 acres and 2 DNR access-site records.

Size

1,246 acres

Lake type

SPRING

Max depth

42 ft

• 2 documented public access site records (DNR access inventory)
• 4 fish species/groups with abundance categories (DNR lake page)
• Fish stocking documented through 2007 (DNR stocking records)
• Summer Secchi clarity median 16.8 ft (field measurements)
• Official DNR depth map available (PDF)

Back to results Show on map Choose access / Directions Depth map (PDF) Check current DNR regulations

Plan your visit

• Lake directory: public landing — Yes
• Lake directory: public beach — No
• Lake directory: public park — Yes
• DNR public-access inventory: 2 documented access site records
• DNR public-access inventory: documented developed boat ramp
• DNR public-access inventory: 1 shore-fishing site record
• 2 sites qualify for per-site Directions through the reviewed lake association (load the site details below)

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

• BUTTERNUT LAKE PIER — Fishing site; ≈0 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈0 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged.
• BUTTERNUT LAKE SOUTH — Boating site; ≈0.2 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈0.3 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged.
• FRANKLIN NATURE TRAILHEAD — Trailhead; ≈0.3 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈2.1 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged.
• FRANKLIN BL — Boating site; ≈0.4 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈2.2 km from the associated access point (straight line); fee charged.
• NICOLET NORTH TRAILHEAD #2 — Trailhead; ≈0.6 km from the lake shoreline (straight line); ≈2 km from the associated access point (straight line).
• 27 more inventoried sites within 15 km.

USFS Chequamegon-Nicolet constructed recreation sites only; straight-line distance is geographic context, not a travel route.

Fishing

The DNR lake page publishes 4 fish species/groups with abundance categories — categories are source labels, never a population count.

DNR fish labels: Smallmouth Bass—Abundant; Walleye—Abundant; Panfish—Common; not population counts.

Stocking records: 7 documented events through 2007, 15,574,000 fish total. Species: Walleye (Historic). Events in 2015 or later count as recent.

Fisheries survey population estimates are published for this lake; survey estimates are historical point-in-time studies and are never compared or ranked here.

• Quality Fishing Waters — Northern pike: 32 inch minimum length limit (as listed on the DNR quality-waters page; not a complete regulations list)

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.

2026-2027 retained fishing rules: 19 published rows for 19 species; effective through 2027-03-07. Check current DNR rules.

Water and setting

• Field-measured summer Secchi clarity: median 16.8 ft from 20 samples, latest sample 2025-08-31
• Satellite clarity estimate: 10.27 ft (2017) — a remote-sensing estimate, kept separate from field measurements
• Lake directory clarity class: Very Clear

Official DNR depth map (PDF) — Historical lake map; not for navigation. Link checked 2026-07-16.

Not published in the lake directory: official mean depth.

• AIS record: Banded mystery snail — Verified, latest documented 2015-08-27
• AIS record: Chinese mystery snail — Verified, latest documented 2023-10-11
• AIS record: Rusty crayfish — Verified, latest documented 1966-12-31
• AIS record: Spiny water flea — Verified, latest documented 2014-08-28

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): mapped public land within 1,000 ft; nearest: Butternut Lake - Island No. 1 (Wisconsin DNR); ≈60.6% of shoreline buffer
• Shoreline development (landcover proxy, 2025 source): ≈8.6% developed land within 300 m, ≈0.9% impervious
• Road proximity (TIGER proxy, 2025 source): nearest local road or city street ≈0 m; ≈2.4 km of road per km² within 1 km

• Resource water (NR 102): Outstanding Resource Water (ORW) — NR 102.10(1m)8
• Priority Navigable Waterway — basis: walleye area, outstanding/exceptional resource water

Designations are legally defined DNR records shown as their sources state them; no composite rating is implied.

Data & sources

Published data families

• Fish species and abundance (DNR lake pages)
• Fish stocking history
• 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.