Clearwater Lake vs North Long Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
North Long Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Clearwater Lake (A, Excellent). Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Both Clearwater Lake and North Long Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. The grades are close: Clearwater Lake (A) and North Long Lake (A) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
With grades 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
Good clarity, visible to about 13 ft.
North Long Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15.1 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clearwater Lake | North Long Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 13 ft | 15.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 12 µg/L | 14 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 54 ft | 97 ft |
| Surface Area | 905.49 acres | 6.2K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 | 18 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
North Long Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Clearwater Lake's Grade A. Water clarity: 15.1 ft vs 13 ft. For fishing diversity, North Long Lake also leads with 18 species.