Clear Lake vs Little Spirit Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clear Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Little Spirit Lake. Both are in Jackson County, Minnesota.
Both Clear Lake and Little Spirit 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: Clear Lake and Little Spirit 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.
Clear Lake
Very murky, less than 1.5 ft of visibility.
Little Spirit Lake
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clear Lake | Little Spirit Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 1.5 ft | 3.3 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 90.5 µg/L Better | 236 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 44 µg/L | 19.3 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 9 ft Better | 8 ft |
| Surface Area | 434 acres | 624 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 15 | 23 Better |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
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
Little Spirit Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Clear Lake. Water clarity: 3.3 ft vs 1.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Little Spirit Lake also leads with 23 species.
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Where to stay near Clear Lake and Little Spirit Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Clear Lake and Little Spirit 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Clear Lake and Little Spirit Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.