Carlos Lake vs Ida Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Carlos Lake and Ida Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Douglas County, Minnesota.
Both Carlos Lake and Ida 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 Ida Lake (A) are within one letter of each other on our A–F scale. 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.
Ida Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Carlos Lake | Ida Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 18 ft Better | 16.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | 13.5 µg/L Better | 14 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.1 µg/L Better | 3 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 163 ft Better | 106 ft |
| Surface Area | 2,605 acres | 4,445 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| 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 Ida Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Carlos Lake: 18 ft, Ida Lake: 16.4 ft) and what you want from the lake. Carlos Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.