Beltrami Lake vs Bemidji Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Beltrami Lake and Bemidji Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Both Beltrami Lake and Bemidji 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: Beltrami Lake (A) and Bemidji 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.
Beltrami Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft.
Bemidji Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Beltrami Lake | Bemidji Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 11 ft | 12.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L | 16.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 50 ft | 76 ft |
| Surface Area | 725.82 acres | 6.6K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| 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 (Beltrami Lake: 11 ft, Bemidji Lake: 12.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Beltrami Lake matches its peer on species count.