Big Pine Lake vs Little Pine Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Big Pine Lake and Little Pine Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of C (Measured). Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Both Big Pine Lake and Little Pine 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 Pine Lake (C) and Little Pine Lake (C) are within one letter of each other on our A–F scale. 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 Pine Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.7 ft.
Little Pine Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Pine Lake | Little Pine Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Measured) | C (Measured) |
| Water Clarity | 8.7 ft | 9.5 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 26 µg/L | 26 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 8 µg/L Better | 10.1 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 76 ft Better | 63 ft |
| Surface Area | 4,728 acres | 2,080 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 20 | 20 |
| 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.
Swap a lake
Compare Big Pine Lake or Little Pine Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Big Pine Lake: 8.7 ft, Little Pine Lake: 9.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Big Pine Lake matches its peer on species count.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.