Grand Lake vs Pearl Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Grand Lake and Pearl Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Stearns County, Minnesota.
Grand Lake and Pearl 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, Grand Lake versus Pearl 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.
Grand Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8 ft.
Pearl Lake
Murky, only visible to about 3.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Grand Lake | Pearl Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 8 ft Better | 3.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 27 µg/L | 20.5 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 8.5 µg/L Better | 13 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 34 ft Better | 17 ft |
| Surface Area | 651 acres | 753 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 14 | 14 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
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 Grand Lake or Pearl Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Grand Lake: 8 ft, Pearl Lake: 3.9 ft) and what you want from the lake. Grand Lake matches its peer on species count.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.