Garfield Lake vs Kabekona Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Garfield Lake and Kabekona Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. 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 differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are close: Garfield Lake and Kabekona 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.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 9.5 ft | 12.1 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 19 µg/L | 11 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.8 µg/L | 2.6 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 32 ft | 133 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 972 acres | 2,433 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 12 | 20 Better |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | oligotrophic |
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 Garfield Lake or Kabekona Lake against a different lake.
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.