Carlos Lake vs Darling Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Carlos Lake and Darling Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. 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 differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are close: Carlos Lake and Darling 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 18 ft Better | 14 ft |
| Phosphorus | 13.5 µg/L Better | 19 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.1 µg/L Better | 3.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 163 ft Better | 62 ft |
| Surface Area | 2,605 acres | 1,050 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| Fish Species | 21 Better | 19 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | 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.
Swap a lake
Compare Carlos Lake or Darling Lake against a different lake.
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.