Camp Lake vs Smith Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Smith Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Camp Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Camp Lake and Smith 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. The grades are close: Camp Lake (C) and Smith Lake (B) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. 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.
Camp Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.6 ft.
Smith Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.1 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Camp Lake | Smith Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 8.6 ft | 12.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 42 ft | 54 ft |
| Surface Area | 533.59 acres | 490.77 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Smith Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Camp Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 12.1 ft vs 8.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Smith Lake also leads with 1 species.