Alder Lake vs Clearwater Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clearwater Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Alder Lake (A, Excellent). Both are in Cook County, Minnesota.
Both Alder Lake and Clearwater Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Alder Lake (A) versus Clearwater Lake (A). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With grades this close, the choice between the two lakes turns on non-water-quality factors: depth, fish species, public access, distance from home. The per-lake pages below cover all of those.
Alder Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.8 ft.
Clearwater Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 30 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Alder Lake | Clearwater Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 13.8 ft | 30 ft |
| Phosphorus | 8 µg/L | 4 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 72 ft | 65 ft |
| Surface Area | 528.93 acres | 461.73 acres |
| Public Access | No | No |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Clearwater Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Alder Lake's Grade A. Water clarity: 30 ft vs 13.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Clearwater Lake also leads with 0 species.