Garden Lake vs White Iron Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Garden Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than White Iron Lake. Both are in Lake County, Minnesota.
Garden Lake and White Iron 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 readings are close: Garden Lake and White Iron Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
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.
Garden Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5 ft.
White Iron Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Garden Lake | White Iron Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 5 ft Better | 4.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 15.5 µg/L Better | 20 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.4 µg/L | 3.7 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 55 ft Better | 47 ft |
| Surface Area | 653 acres | 3,237 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 12 Better | 10 |
| 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.
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Verdict
Garden Lake and White Iron Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Garden Lake: 5 ft, White Iron Lake: 4.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Garden Lake supports more documented fish species.
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Where to stay near Garden Lake and White Iron Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Garden Lake and White Iron Lake. Both lakes are pinned on the map, so you can see which stays sit nearer the one you pick. Switch to Satellite to see how close each is to the water.
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.