Bearskin Lake vs Clearwater Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Bearskin Lake and Clearwater Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Cook County, Minnesota.
Both Bearskin 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. The grades are close: Bearskin Lake (A) and Clearwater 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.
Bearskin Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 21 ft down.
Clearwater Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 29 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Bearskin Lake | Clearwater Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 21 ft | 29 ft |
| Phosphorus | 6 µg/L | 4 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 1.3 µg/L | 1.3 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 78 ft | 65 ft |
| Surface Area | 509 acres | 462 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| Fish Species | 9 | 0 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | oligotrophic |
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 (Bearskin Lake: 21 ft, Clearwater Lake: 29 ft) and what you want from the lake. Bearskin Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.