Wisconsin Is Home To A Bottomless Lake And You’ll Want To See It For Yourself
Wisconsin has thousands of lakes, from little ponds that you can wade across, to huge inland waters that you could spend all day exploring with a boat. There’s one little lake that is unlike any other; it’s so deep, it seemingly has no bottom. This so-called bottomless lake is called Wazee Lake, and it’s a Wisconsin wonder you have to see for yourself.
Wazee Lake is located east of Black River Falls, in the Jackson County town of Brockway. It's a short drive off Highway 94, making it an easy day trip if you’re traveling between Madison and Eau Claire.
The lake is located in the middle of the 1,300-acre Wazee Lake Recreation Area. The park has some nine miles of hiking trails and 12 rustic campsites, but the lake is the biggest draw here, by far.
At a glance, the lake doesn’t seem that unusual. It has a beautiful sand beach but it’s not a huge lake. The surface covers just 146 acres. But the lake holds a secret.
Wazee Lake is actually a whopping 355 feet deep. It’s the deepest inland lake in Wisconsin and the water is incredibly clear. But it’s not so clear that you can stare down and see the deepest depths!
It’s not a natural lake. There was once an enormous taconite mine that was in operation from the 1960s until the 1980s. About 850,000 tons of taconite pellets were removed each year for steel production and it created a gigantic hole in the earth.
When the mine closed in 1983, the pumps were shut off, and the hole flooded, forming the lake. It’s now a popular place for relaxing and a big draw for scuba divers – the lake is ideal for training that requires deeper depths and divers don’t need a boat to dive here. About 1,000 divers come to Wazee every year!
Learn more about the Wazee Lake Recreation Area, including admission fees, scuba fees, and camping fees on the Jackson County website. The county claims the lake is the clearest in Wisconsin – here’s another amazing lake that also claims the title.
Address: Wazee Lake Recreation Area, N6302 N Brockway Rd, Black River Falls, WI 54615, USA
Wisconsin In Your Inbox
Thank you! You'll receive your first newsletter soon!
