Eagles Nest Lake vs East Vermilion Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Eagles Nest Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than East Vermilion Lake (D, Poor). Both are in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Both Eagles Nest Lake and East Vermilion 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 meaningfully apart: Eagles Nest Lake grades a A while East Vermilion 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 — Eagles Nest 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?
Eagles Nest Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15.5 ft down.
East Vermilion Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Eagles Nest Lake | East Vermilion Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 15.5 ft | 6.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 49 ft | 76 ft |
| Surface Area | 1.0K acres | 39.3K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Eagles Nest Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus East Vermilion Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 15.5 ft vs 6.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Eagles Nest Lake also leads with 1 species.