Clearwater Lake vs Two Island Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clearwater Lake and Two Island Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Cook County, Minnesota.
Both Clearwater Lake and Two Island 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. These two sit close on the readings, Clearwater Lake versus Two Island Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Two Island Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clearwater Lake | Two Island Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 29 ft Better | 9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 4 µg/L Better | 12 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 1.3 µg/L Better | 3.4 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 65 ft Better | 27 ft |
| Surface Area | 462 acres | 754 acres |
| Public Access | No | Yes |
| Fish Species | 0 | 7 Better |
| 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 Clearwater Lake or Two Island Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Clearwater Lake: 29 ft, Two Island Lake: 9 ft) and what you want from the lake. Clearwater Lake has fewer fish species than Two Island Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.