Bear Head Lake vs Bear Island Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Bear Head Lake and Bear Island Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Both Bear Head Lake and Bear Island 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: Bear Head Lake (A) and Bear Island 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.
Bear Head Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft.
Bear Island Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Bear Head Lake | Bear Island Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 11 ft | 7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 19.5 µg/L | 15 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.6 µg/L | 6.4 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 46 ft | 62 ft |
| Surface Area | 662 acres | 2,362 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 9 | 13 |
| 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 (Bear Head Lake: 11 ft, Bear Island Lake: 7 ft) and what you want from the lake. Bear Head Lake has fewer fish species than Bear Island Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.