Clearwater Lake vs Red Sand Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clearwater Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Red Sand Lake. Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Clearwater Lake and Red Sand 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 Red Sand 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
Good clarity, visible to about 13 ft.
Red Sand Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clearwater Lake | Red Sand Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 13 ft Better | 9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 12 µg/L Better | 22.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.7 µg/L | 3.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 54 ft Better | 23 ft |
| Surface Area | 905 acres | 521 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 Better | 10 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | 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.
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Verdict
Clearwater Lake and Red Sand Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Clearwater Lake: 13 ft, Red Sand Lake: 9 ft) and what you want from the lake. Clearwater Lake supports more documented fish species.
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Where to stay near Clearwater Lake and Red Sand Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.