Cannon Lake vs French Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
French Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Cannon Lake. Both are in Rice County, Minnesota.
Cannon Lake and French 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 readings are close: Cannon Lake and French 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.
Cannon Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.1 ft.
French Lake
Very murky, less than 1.7 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Cannon Lake | French Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 4.1 ft Better | 1.7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 244 µg/L | 134 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 46.5 µg/L | 46.3 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 15 ft | 56 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 1,593 acres | 876 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 17 Better | 16 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | hypereutrophic |
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
Cannon Lake and French Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Cannon Lake: 4.1 ft, French Lake: 1.7 ft) and what you want from the lake. Cannon Lake supports more documented fish species.
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Where to stay near Cannon Lake and French Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Cannon Lake and French 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.