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Grace Lake and Little Wolf Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Minnesota.

Reviewed by LakeQuality Editorial Team · Updated

Grace Lake and Little Wolf 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. These two sit close on the readings, Grace Lake versus Little Wolf 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.

Grace Lake

Beltrami County, Minnesota

Crystal clear, you can see 15 ft down.

Little Wolf Lake

Cass County, Minnesota

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

MetricGrace LakeLittle Wolf Lake
Water Clarity15 ft Better7 ft
Phosphorus21.5 µg/L Better26.5 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)9.3 µg/L Better12.7 µg/L
Maximum Depth42 ft Better24 ft
Surface Area860 acres525 acres
Public AccessYesYes
Fish Species1313
Trophic Statemesotrophiceutrophic

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.

Verdict

Both lakes earn the same Grade C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Grace Lake: 15 ft, Little Wolf Lake: 7 ft) and what you want from the lake. Grace Lake matches its peer on species count.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.