Birch Lake vs Mule Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Mule Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Birch Lake. Both are in Cass County, Minnesota.
Both Birch Lake and Mule 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. These two sit close on their nutrient and algae readings, Birch Lake versus Mule 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.
Birch Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14 ft.
Mule Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Birch Lake | Mule Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 14 ft | 18 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 12 µg/L | 10 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4 µg/L | 2.4 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 45 ft | 47 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 1,267 acres | 525 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 14 Better | 11 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
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
Birch Lake and Mule Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Birch Lake: 14 ft, Mule Lake: 18 ft) and what you want from the lake. Birch Lake supports more documented fish species.
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Where to stay near Birch Lake and Mule Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.