Clearwater Lake vs Elbow Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clearwater Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Elbow Lake. Both are in Cook County, Minnesota.
Clearwater Lake and Elbow 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: Clearwater Lake and Elbow 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.
Clearwater Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 29 ft down.
Elbow Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.7 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clearwater Lake | Elbow Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 29 ft Better | 3.7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 4 µg/L Better | 18.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 1.3 µg/L Better | 4.8 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 65 ft Better | 9 ft |
| Surface Area | 462 acres | 408 acres |
| Public Access | No | Yes |
| Fish Species | 0 | 7 Better |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | 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
Clearwater Lake and Elbow Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Clearwater Lake: 29 ft, Elbow Lake: 3.7 ft) and what you want from the lake. Clearwater Lake has fewer fish species than Elbow Lake.
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Where to stay near Clearwater Lake and Elbow Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Clearwater Lake and Elbow 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.
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.