Big Carnelian Lake vs White Bear Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
White Bear Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Big Carnelian Lake (B, Good). Both are in Washington County, Minnesota.
Both Big Carnelian Lake and White Bear 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: Big Carnelian Lake (B) and White Bear 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.
Big Carnelian Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14.5 ft.
White Bear Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Carnelian Lake | White Bear Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 14.5 ft | 15 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 15 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 66 ft | 83 ft |
| Surface Area | 457.03 acres | 2.4K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
White Bear Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Big Carnelian Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 15 ft vs 14.5 ft. For fishing diversity, White Bear Lake also leads with 1 species.