Ames Lake vs Sand Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Ames Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Sand Lake (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 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Ames Lake | Sand Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 10 ft | 13 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L | 18 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.3 µg/L | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 51 ft | 60 ft |
| Surface Area | 563.87 acres | 714.55 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| Fish Species | 1 | 0 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Ames Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Sand Lake's Grade A. Water clarity: 10 ft vs 13 ft. For fishing diversity, Ames Lake also leads with 1 species.