1
AMorrison Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota · 5.3 mi from Spike Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++30.9 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (13 vs 30.5 µg/L)
Cleaner Lakes Than Spike Lake
5 higher-graded lakes within 30 miles, ranked by grade improvement and proximity.
Spike Lake carries a Grade C (Fair) water quality score. Within 30 miles, 5 lakes hold a higher grade. Morrison Lake (Clearwater County, Grade A, 5.3 mi away) is the closest meaningful upgrade.
2
ARound Lake
Beltrami County, Minnesota · 6.5 mi from Spike Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++50.6 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (7 vs 30.5 µg/L)
3
ABagley Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota · 2.5 mi from Spike Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++4 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (19 vs 30.5 µg/L)
4
AFalk Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota · 2.6 mi from Spike Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++4.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (14 vs 30.5 µg/L)
5
AClearwater Lake
Clearwater County, Minnesota · 3.8 mi from Spike Lake
- +Two grade letters higher (C → A)
- ++1.8 ft water clarity
- +Lower phosphorus (15 vs 30.5 µg/L)
How this list is built
Every lake on LakeQuality has a calculated grade from EPA Water Quality Portal samples — secchi depth, total phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a measured against Metropolitan Council thresholds. To suggest cleaner alternatives, we filter lakes within 30 miles to those with a strictly higher numeric score, then rank by grade improvement with a small proximity tiebreak. Cross-state and limited-data lakes are excluded so the list stays locally relevant.