Ames Lake vs Sand Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Ames Lake and Sand Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Itasca County, Minnesota.
Both Ames Lake and Sand 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. The grades are close: Ames Lake (A) and Sand Lake (A) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Ames Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10 ft.
Sand Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.2 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Ames Lake | Sand Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 10 ft | 13.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L | 18 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.3 µg/L | 3.1 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 51 ft | 60 ft |
| Surface Area | 564 acres | 715 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 13 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Ames Lake: 10 ft, Sand Lake: 13.2 ft) and what you want from the lake. Ames Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.