Beltrami Lake vs Turtle Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Beltrami Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Turtle Lake. Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Both Beltrami Lake and Turtle Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are close: Beltrami Lake and Turtle Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
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.
Beltrami Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11.2 ft.
Turtle Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10.2 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Beltrami Lake | Turtle Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 11.2 ft Better | 10.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L | 15 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.3 µg/L Better | 4.9 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 50 ft Better | 45 ft |
| Surface Area | 726 acres | 1,607 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 | 16 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
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.
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Verdict
Beltrami Lake and Turtle Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Beltrami Lake: 11.2 ft, Turtle Lake: 10.2 ft) and what you want from the lake. Beltrami Lake matches its peer on species count.
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Where to stay near Beltrami Lake and Turtle Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.