Cedar Lake vs Round Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Round Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Cedar Lake. Both are in Aitkin County, Minnesota.
Cedar Lake and Round 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: Cedar Lake and Round 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.
Cedar Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11.1 ft.
Round Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Cedar Lake | Round Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 11.1 ft | 14.5 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 13 µg/L | 10 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3 µg/L | 2.7 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 105 ft | 125 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 1,726 acres | 737 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 22 Better | 18 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
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
Cedar Lake and Round Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Cedar Lake: 11.1 ft, Round Lake: 14.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Cedar Lake supports more documented fish species.
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Where to stay near Cedar Lake and Round Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.