Birch Lake vs Norway Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Birch Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Norway Lake. Both are in Cass County, Minnesota.
Both Birch Lake and Norway 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. The readings are close: Birch Lake and Norway Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
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.
Norway Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Birch Lake | Norway Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 14 ft Better | 6.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 12 µg/L Better | 21 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4 µg/L Better | 5.1 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 45 ft Better | 12 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,267 acres | 515 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 14 | 14 |
| 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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Verdict
Birch Lake and Norway Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Birch Lake: 14 ft, Norway Lake: 6.9 ft) and what you want from the lake. Birch Lake matches its peer on species count.
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Where to stay near Birch Lake and Norway Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Birch Lake and Norway Lake. Both lakes are pinned on the map, so you can see which stays sit nearer the one you pick. Switch to Satellite to see how close each is to the water.
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.