Big Mcdonald Lake vs West Mcdonald Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Big Mcdonald Lake and West Mcdonald Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Both Big Mcdonald Lake and West Mcdonald 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Big Mcdonald Lake (A) versus West Mcdonald Lake (A). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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 Mcdonald Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
West Mcdonald Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.2 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Mcdonald Lake | West Mcdonald Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 16.4 ft | 16.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 11 µg/L | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 46 ft | 62 ft |
| Surface Area | 991.7 acres | 596.86 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| 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 (Big Mcdonald Lake: 16.4 ft, West Mcdonald Lake: 16.2 ft) and what you want from the lake. Big Mcdonald Lake matches its peer on species count.