Darling Lake vs Ida Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Darling Lake and Ida Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Douglas County, Minnesota.
Both Darling Lake and Ida 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. These two sit close on the readings, Darling Lake versus Ida Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Darling Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14 ft.
Ida Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Darling Lake | Ida Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 14 ft | 16.4 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 19 µg/L | 14 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.7 µg/L | 3 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 62 ft | 106 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 1,050 acres | 4,445 acres |
| Public Access | No | Yes |
| Fish Species | 19 | 19 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
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 Darling Lake or Ida Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Darling Lake: 14 ft, Ida Lake: 16.4 ft) and what you want from the lake. Darling Lake matches its peer on species count.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.