Clearwater Lake vs Ruth Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Clearwater Lake and Ruth Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Both Clearwater Lake and Ruth 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. The readings are close: Clearwater Lake and Ruth 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.
Ruth Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clearwater Lake | Ruth Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 13 ft | 16 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 12 µg/L | 11 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.7 µg/L | 2.7 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 54 ft Better | 39 ft |
| Surface Area | 905 acres | 599 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 16 Better | 12 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
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 Ruth Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Clearwater Lake: 13 ft, Ruth Lake: 16 ft) and what you want from the lake. Clearwater Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.