Clear Lake vs Upper Sakatah Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clear Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Upper Sakatah Lake. Both are in Minnesota.
Clear Lake and Upper Sakatah 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: Clear Lake and Upper Sakatah 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 2.5 ft of visibility.
Upper Sakatah Lake
Very murky, less than 3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clear Lake | Upper Sakatah Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 2.5 ft | 3 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 151 µg/L Better | 303 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 59.3 µg/L Better | 76.8 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 34 ft Better | 12 ft |
| Surface Area | 649 acres | 892 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 12 | 14 Better |
| Trophic State | hypereutrophic | hypereutrophic |
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
Clear Lake and Upper Sakatah Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Clear Lake: 2.5 ft, Upper Sakatah Lake: 3 ft) and what you want from the lake. Clear Lake has fewer fish species than Upper Sakatah Lake.
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Where to stay near Clear Lake and Upper Sakatah Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Clear Lake and Upper Sakatah 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 Upper Sakatah Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.