Ames Lake vs Shallow Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Ames Lake and Shallow Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Itasca County, Minnesota.
Ames Lake and Shallow Lake are both in Minnesota — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. These two sit close on the readings, Ames Lake versus Shallow Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
With readings 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.
Shallow Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Ames Lake | Shallow Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 10 ft | 16.4 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L | 9 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.3 µg/L Better | 3.2 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 51 ft | 85 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 564 acres | 539 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 13 Better | 12 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
Swap a lake
Compare Ames Lake or Shallow Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Ames Lake: 10 ft, Shallow Lake: 16.4 ft) and what you want from the lake. Ames Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.