Crane Lake vs Pike Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pike Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Crane Lake (D, Poor). Both are in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Crane Lake and Pike 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. Pike Lake (A) is materially cleaner than Crane Lake (D). A gap that wide is unlikely to close in a single year of remediation work; it reflects multi-decade differences in the lakes themselves.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Pike 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 6.6 ft.
Pike Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Crane Lake | Pike Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 6.6 ft | 18 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 80 ft | 60 ft |
| Surface Area | 2.9K acres | 488.26 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Pike Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Crane Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 18 ft vs 6.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Pike Lake also leads with 1 species.