Garfield Lake vs Kabekona Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Garfield Lake and Kabekona Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Hubbard County, Minnesota.
Both Garfield Lake and Kabekona 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 close: Garfield Lake (A) and Kabekona Lake (A) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
With grades 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.
Garfield Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.5 ft.
Kabekona Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 12.1 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Garfield Lake | Kabekona Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 9.5 ft | 12.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | 19 µg/L | 11 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.8 µg/L | 2.6 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 32 ft | 133 ft |
| Surface Area | 972 acres | 2,433 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 12 | 20 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Garfield Lake: 9.5 ft, Kabekona Lake: 12.1 ft) and what you want from the lake. Garfield Lake has fewer fish species than Kabekona Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.