Three Lakes Webcam – Check Big Stone Lake, Wisconsin

The Three Lakes Webcam looks out over Big Stone Lake from the Aqua Devils ski show grounds, about 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles) east of downtown Three Lakes in northern Wisconsin. The main camera sits behind the shoreline lawn where the show crowd gathers. Rows of aluminum bleachers face the water, a folded white ramp trailer rests on the grass at the left, and the lake runs across the frame to a wooded far shore dotted with cottages, buoys and the odd pontoon boat. A second camera, on the Sunset Grill tab, watches the same lake from the restaurant’s dock and pergola deck. Both feeds print the date and time in a corner, so you can tell at a glance how fresh the picture is.

About Three Lakes and Big Stone Lake

Three Lakes is a town of 2,413 people (2020 census) in Oneida County, at about 505 meters (1,657 feet) in Wisconsin’s Northwoods. It took its name from the three lakes the Milwaukee, Lake Shore and Western Railway met while pushing its line north, and it was incorporated in 1881. Logging came first, with timber cut here to help rebuild Chicago after the fire of 1871, then potato farming, and from the late 1930s, tourism.

Big Stone Lake belongs to the chain that defines the town. The Three Lakes Area Visitors Bureau describes a 28-lake system running north to Eagle River, with more than 7,600 acres (about 3,075 hectares) of navigable water and over 160 kilometers (100 miles) of shoreline, and calls it the largest inland chain of freshwater lakes in the world. Musky and walleye are the fish most anglers come for.

The ski grounds are the Phyllis B. Felland Memorial Water Ski Park, home of the Aqua Devils, a nonprofit show team that has skied here since 1958. Shows run on Wednesday and Saturday evenings at 6:30 p.m. from mid-June to early August, with pyramids, jumps, ballet, swivel skiing and barefooting, and those bleachers fill up on show nights. Outside that window the camera is a quiet lake view. Sunset Grill sits at 1036 State Highway 32 on the same lake, across the road from the Three Lakes Municipal Airport.

Weather and Climate in Three Lakes

Winters are long and cold. January afternoons average about -6 C (22 F) and nights regularly drop below -12 C (10 F), so Big Stone Lake freezes over and both cameras look across a sheet of ice and snow through the heart of winter. March still hovers near freezing, and April highs only reach about 9 C (48 F).

Summer is mild. July highs average around 25 C (77 F) with nights near 15 C (59 F), and June through September is the wettest stretch, at roughly 90 to 105 millimeters (3.5 to 4.1 inches) of rain a month. Autumn moves fast: September highs near 20 C (68 F) fall to about 12 C (53 F) in October, when the hardwoods along the far shore turn orange and red behind the dark pines.

Things to Do Near Three Lakes

The Three Eagle Trail runs 20.4 kilometers (12.7 miles) between Three Lakes and Eagle River on crushed, compacted limestone, an easy ride or walk through the forest. On the water, the Burnt Rollways Dam and Boat Hoist, built in 1911, lifts boats over a narrow isthmus between the Three Lakes and Eagle River chains from May to September, and the Three Lakes Historical Society runs narrated boat tours of the chain.

In town, the Three Lakes Center for the Arts stages shows in a restored World War II era Quonset hut, one of fewer than five such theaters left in the United States. The Chequamegon-Nicolet National Forest surrounds the area with trails and quiet backroads. Sunset Grill, a breakfast and lunch spot with an outdoor patio, can be reached by car or by boat.

Similar Webcams You Might Like

More cameras from Wisconsin’s Northwoods and other lake towns:

• Mercer WI Webcam
• Bayfield Webcam
• Lake Bemidji Webcam

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you see on the Three Lakes Webcam?

The main camera shows the Aqua Devils show grounds on Big Stone Lake: a lawn with rows of bleachers and a ramp trailer in front, then open water to a wooded shore with cottages. The Sunset Grill tab shows the restaurant’s dock, pergola deck and moored pontoon boats on the same lake.

Where is the Three Lakes webcam located?

On the shore of Big Stone Lake at the Phyllis B. Felland Memorial Water Ski Park, about 5.6 kilometers (3.5 miles) east of Three Lakes in Oneida County, Wisconsin. Eagle River is at the far end of the Three Eagle Trail, 20.4 kilometers (12.7 miles) away.

Is there a Sunset Grill webcam in Three Lakes?

Yes. It is the second tab on this page. The Sunset Grill camera looks out from the restaurant’s dock over Big Stone Lake and shows its latest picture first, with a play button for the live view.

Does the Three Lakes webcam show downtown or the bridge?

No. Both cameras are on Big Stone Lake, east of town, and face the water. Downtown Three Lakes and its streets are not in view.

When is the Aqua Devils ski show in Three Lakes?

The Aqua Devils perform on Wednesday and Saturday evenings at 6:30 p.m. from mid-June to early August, at the ski park this camera overlooks. On show nights the bleachers in the frame fill with spectators.

Is Big Stone Lake part of the Three Lakes Chain?

Yes. Big Stone Lake is one of the lakes in the chain, which the Visitors Bureau counts at 28 lakes stretching north to Eagle River.

What is the weather like in Three Lakes, WI?

Summers are mild, with July highs around 25 C (77 F). Winters are cold, with January afternoons near -6 C (22 F) and nights often below -12 C (10 F), and the lakes freeze.

Can I check ice on Big Stone Lake with the webcam?

You can see whether the lake surface is open water, slush or snow-covered ice. The picture cannot tell you how thick or safe the ice is, so check local reports before going out on it.

Source: Three Lakes Area Visitors Bureau