Big Wolf Lake vs Grace Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Big Wolf Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Grace Lake. Both are in Minnesota.
Big Wolf Lake and Grace Lake are both in Minnesota — a same-state head-to-head where the comparison comes down to lake-specific differences in depth, watershed, and monitoring history rather than the broader state-level water-quality regime. These two sit close on the readings, Big Wolf Lake versus Grace Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Big Wolf Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11.5 ft.
Grace Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Big Wolf Lake | Grace Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 11.5 ft | 15 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 21 µg/L Better | 21.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | 9.3 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 57 ft Better | 42 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,076 acres | 860 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 18 Better | 13 |
| 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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Compare Big Wolf Lake or Grace Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Big Wolf Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Grace Lake. Water clarity: 11.5 ft vs 15 ft. For fishing diversity, Big Wolf Lake also leads with 18 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.