Camp Lake vs Clearwater Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clearwater Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Camp Lake. Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Camp Lake and Clearwater 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. Clearwater Lake reads materially cleaner than Camp Lake on nutrients and algae. A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider gap in the readings is decisive: Clearwater Lake has the lower nutrient and algae numbers. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Camp Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.3 ft.
Clearwater Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Camp Lake | Clearwater Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 8.3 ft | 13 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 19.5 µg/L | 12 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 10.4 µg/L | 3.7 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 42 ft | 54 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 534 acres | 905 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 12 | 16 Better |
| 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
Clearwater Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Camp Lake. Water clarity: 13 ft vs 8.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Clearwater Lake also leads with 16 species.
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Where to stay near Camp Lake and Clearwater Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.