Clearwater Lake vs Upper Maple Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Upper Maple Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Clearwater Lake (B, Good). Both are in Wright County, Minnesota.
Both Clearwater Lake and Upper Maple 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 (B) and Upper Maple 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 10.2 ft.
Upper Maple Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Clearwater Lake | Upper Maple Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 10.2 ft | 18 ft |
| Phosphorus | 21 µg/L | 16 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 73 ft | 76 ft |
| Surface Area | 3.2K acres | 632.6 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Upper Maple Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Clearwater Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 18 ft vs 10.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Upper Maple Lake also leads with 1 species.