Cotton Lake vs Height of Land Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Cotton Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Height of Land Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Becker County, Minnesota.
Both Cotton Lake and Height of Land 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Cotton Lake (B) versus Height of Land Lake (C). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Cotton Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11.5 ft.
Height of Land Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Cotton Lake | Height of Land Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | B (Good) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 11.5 ft | 6.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 25 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 28 ft | 21 ft |
| Surface Area | 1.8K acres | 3.8K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Cotton Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Height of Land Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 11.5 ft vs 6.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Cotton Lake also leads with 1 species.