Large Lake Great for Recreation

Located south of Lake Superior this pleasant rural region of approximately 1300 residents is most well known for its stunning 2,580 acre lake. Shell Lake is Wisconsin's largest landlocked seepage lake. Its reputation for being one of the cleanest lakes in Wisconsin is well founded. With depths of up to 36 feet the lake is a beautiful place for outdoor sports such as, fishing, swimming, sailing, or just relaxing and enjoying the peace and quiet. Shell Lake is most popular for its walleye population, but other species such as, pike, musky, bass and the ever popular pan fish are also present and often found tugging at the end of the fisherman's line. Also within the city limits of Shell Lake is the popular 42 acre Round Lake. Round Lake has walleyes, bass and pan fish. For the fly fisherman a Class A trout stream, Sawyer Creek, can also be found within the City.

A boat landing is located downtown nearby the municipal campground. There is adequate parking for both cars and trailers on the paved facility. Docking facilities allow for easy launching and docking from either side of the dock. Visitors are reminded to gas up their boats before arriving at the Lake since there are no fueling facilities available. There is a nominal daily boat launch fee, or regular visitors can pay a reasonable annual fee. The Lake also has two additional launching areas, primarily for smaller, non-trailer watercrafts - one on South Lake Drive and the other off of North Lake Drive.

Visitors to the Shell Lake area will want to take advantage of other interesting sites after spending a fun filled day on the lake. The Museum of Woodcarving, housing the largest collection of wood carvings created by one person, Joseph T. Barta, is well worth the hour needed to take in all of the beautiful, hand crafted carvings. The Shell Lake Arts Center is located nearby. Visitors can take advantage of the many concerts held by the Arts Center at the Lakefront Pavilion. The beautiful Lakefront Pavilion a trendy place to hold a wedding, family reunion, or just a good old fashioned family picnic. Outdoor concerts are extremely popular during the warm weather months. During the summer months the Arts Center offers free movies every Monday evening. The City operates a beach in Memorial Park near the end of Main Street. The beach is staffed by qualified life guards during the warm weather months. A playground is located near the beach area with updated playground equipment.

The competitive sailing enthusiasts can participate in sailboat regattas held on the lake each summer by contacting the Shell Lake Sailing Club. If racing isn't your thing, Shell lake is a great place for a relaxing sail around the anytime during the summer.

The Municipal Campground located directly on the Lake offers visitors 41 campsites. Eleven of these sites are pull-through. There is water and electric on all of the sites. The campground has hot shower facilities, public boat landing, and a fish cleaning station. There are also several privately owned and operated campgrounds in the lake area.

There are numerous restaurants within the City limits and the surrounding area to meet the dining needs of daily visitors.