Crane Lake vs Mukooda Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Mukooda Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Crane Lake (D, Poor). Both are in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Crane Lake and Mukooda 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 grades are meaningfully apart: Mukooda Lake grades a A while Crane Lake grades a D. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Mukooda Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Crane Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6 ft.
Mukooda Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.6 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Crane Lake | Mukooda Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 6 ft | 16.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 17 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 80 ft | 78 ft |
| Surface Area | 2.9K acres | 773.76 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Mukooda Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Crane Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 16.6 ft vs 6 ft. For fishing diversity, Mukooda Lake also leads with 1 species.