Overview
Clearwater Lake is a private lake community just south of Eagle River. The development covers more than 1,200 acres which includes the beautiful 350 acre Clearwater Lake. The lake is a spring fed, 50 foot deep lake with a hard sand bottom, crystal clear water and an amazing fishery. All of the lots are on the water and are surrounded by a buffer zone of over 700 acres of common property owned by the lake association. The common property around the lots includes miles of hiking and biking trails, a nine hole golf course, a frisbee golf course, large park areas and more.
What Makes Clearwater Lake Unique?
The Clearwater development is one of a kind mostly due to the rare opportunity to start with a blank slate. With thousands of lakes in Northern Wisconsin, we viewed the blank slate as an opportunity to do something different. Instead of developing all of the land and making the lake public, we chose to keep the lands and lake access private and to limit construction to single family homes on the water. Our hopes with this path of development was to attract people who were looking for a quieter, more laid back atmosphere where the worries of the world could be left behind. It took awhile to come to fruition, but that has been how things have unfolded. The type of people that live on the lake are what truly make it so unique.
Another aspect of the development that is unique to Clearwater is the quality of the homes. There is no other lake that has such a collection of nice homes. While the quality of homes doesn't change anything when it comes to the enjoyment of the lake it certainly changes the feel of being on the lake and on the property in general. Architectural guidelines are in place to ensure all new homes are high quality homes. While style and size aren't dictated by the guidelines, it is required that homes are approved by a review committee. There are many styles and sizes of quality homes on the lake.
The vast amount of private land around the lake is probably the most unique quality of Clearwater Lake. The land has provided the opportunity to add perks that really enhance the experience of living in the community. Thus far we have added a "golf course", many miles of trails, some park areas and a frisbee golf course. Future plans include a sledding hill, a foot golf course, an archery course, a community garden and orchard, and further development of the trail system. There is ample land available to add more perks as good ideas come up.
The lake itself also has some protections on it that go towards ensuring a peaceful and fulfilling experience for the members of the community. The most noticeable of the protections is the jet ski hours. Jet skis are only allowed from noon until four. While jet skis may be fun to be on, they are not much fun to listen to. With the lake being such a great fishing lake, there are also boating hours in place to give people time to enjoy the sounds of nature while fishing. Boating/waterskiing/tubing is limited to 9am to 6pm. In addition to giving the fishermen time to enjoy the quiet, the boating hours also allow for the peaceful enjoyment of a quiet dinner with friends and family on the patio or a nice quiet pontoon boat cruise around the lake.
Details
The Lake
The most important variable when buying on a lake is the lake itself. No lake is perfect for everyone, but Clearwater checks a lot of boxes. Clearwater Lake is 356 acres and connects to two smaller lakes on the property, Bass Lake (~16 acres) and Coca-Cola Lake (~12 acres). The water is incredibly clear (16+ ft) and is very deep (average depth of 22'). The lake has a sharp drop off most of the way around making for some great fishing spots. The lake has a meandering shape and over five miles of shoreline making it great for kayaking, paddle boarding, pontoon rides and other silent activities that revolve around shoreline exploration.
Another nice perk of the lake itself are the strong springs. In the drought years between 2007 and 2009 when many lakes in the area were down 7-10 feet the water level at Clearwater didn't change at all. The water level also has barely moved in the recent years of high water thanks to the outlet on the west end of the lake. Sometimes stable water levels are overlooked when you get used to them, but they certainly are appreciated when you see other lakes fluctuating so much.
The Trails
If you are the type that enjoys getting some outdoor exercise, Clearwater Lake has a lot to offer. The private blacktop roads are great for an easy walk or bike ride. While there are nice blacktop roads all over the Northwoods, there aren't many quiet, private ones where you hardly ever see another person or vehicle. If the woods is more your thing there currently are miles of trails through the woods to keep you busy and we are adding to and improving the trail network on a regular basis.
The Three Eagle trail system also runs through the property so it is easy to hop on to it all year round (it is groomed in the winter). This trail has a compacted limestone base and is kept in great condition. It is a good combination of easy peddling/walking and the experience of being in the woods.
In the winter the trails around the lake are dragged and can be used for cross country skiing, show shoeing and fat biking. In years with good ice a loop around the lake is groomed which makes it possible to spend some quality time on the lake. As the lake membership grows, the trail system grow with it. Future plans include the further expansion of the trail system that weaves through the property.
The Golf Course
The "golf course" out here at Clearwater Lake is not the type of course you would ever see on TV. While we keep it mowed, there aren't putting greens, we don't run the sprinkler system (as of now), and there are no formal rules. Instead, the course is a great place to hit some balls around with friends or take the dogs for a walk and enjoy the wonderful wilderness of Northern Wisconsin. If the lot owners ever want to take the course to the next level and become more of a regular golf course, the infrastructure is in place to do so. For now the course is just a great place to go relax, have some fun, and enjoy the wilderness.
The course is about 2,800 yards and has ponds in play on six of the holes and wetland pockets on two others. It's quite a bit of fun to bring a bunch of balls out and knock them around for a while.
A recent addition to the course is the first nine holes of a frisbee golf course. The nine hole course loops from the sixth hole of the golf course through hole seven, then on to four before running down hole five to finish up. A further expansion of the frisbee golf course and a foot golf course are in the works for this summer and fall.
Great Location
One of the best features of having a home on Clearwater Lake is how convenient everything is. With all the private land it feels like you are in a world of your own, but when you need to make a trip to town you have two really nice options. The lake is five miles North of Three Lakes. Three Lakes is a great little town with a great bakery. It is close enough that you can have a fresh doughnut in your belly before the sleep is out of your eyes in the morning. If you feel a little guilty about the doughnut you can go for a run on the Three Eagle Trail to burn it off without even leaving the lake property. Three Lakes also has a nice ice cream shop that is nice to hit up after grilling up a delicious supper. In addition to being an awesome spot to satisfy a sweet tooth, Three Lakes has a nice laid back feel and lots of events going on throughout the year.
Eagle River is five miles North of the lake. There are a bunch of nice places to eat in town, there are two grocery stores, a hardware store and a ton of specialty shops downtown. You really appreciate how nice it is to have a town close by when you run out of gas with the boat or realize you are out of ketchup as you are about to throw some juicy burgers on the grill! All the specialty shops in town are a great way to entertain guests when the weather doesn't cooperate with your lake plans.
As I mentioned earlier, the Three Eagle bike trail runs through the property. The trail from Clearwater into Eagle River is one of the more scenic ones in the area and is awesome for walking, running and biking in the summer and they keep it groomed for cross country skiing in the winter. While Clearwater Lake isn't the spot to be if you are looking to raise a little cain on the water, the chain is right across the road so it is easy to take the boat over for a day.
The Park Areas
The park areas on the lake are in the commonly owned lands and are a great spot for a variety of things. When you need an open spot to have some fun they are nice to have around. They've been used for volleyball games, chipping practice areas, a spot to play a little catch and even the lake fourth of July parties. We recently added a frisbee golf cage to the one on St. Mary's. As the lake membership grows, the park areas will evolve to fit the needs of the owners. This spring an apple orchard was planted at the south park. There are plans for a sledding hill on the south side this summer. The potential of these areas is pretty unlimited.
Utilities
While not a feature that will blow anyone away, the presence of natural gas and high speed internet really make life more convenient. No worrying about keeping your propane tank full or worrying about not being able to work from home due to a spotty internet connection.