Carlos Lake vs Darling Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Carlos Lake and Darling Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Douglas County, Minnesota.
Both Carlos Lake and Darling Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. The grades are close: Carlos Lake (A) and Darling Lake (A) 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.
Carlos Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.
Darling Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Carlos Lake | Darling Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 18 ft | 14 ft |
| Phosphorus | 13.5 µg/L | 19 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.1 µg/L | 3.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 163 ft | 62 ft |
| Surface Area | 2,605 acres | 1,050 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| Fish Species | 21 | 19 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Carlos Lake: 18 ft, Darling Lake: 14 ft) and what you want from the lake. Carlos Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.