Gull Lake vs Medicine Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Medicine Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Gull Lake. Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Both Gull Lake and Medicine 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: Gull Lake and Medicine 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.
Gull Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.9 ft.
Medicine Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Gull Lake | Medicine Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 7.9 ft | 7.9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 26 µg/L | 23 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 6.3 µg/L Better | 7.1 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 23 ft | 44 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 2,256 acres | 461 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 13 Better | 12 |
| 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
Medicine Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Gull Lake. Water clarity: 7.9 ft vs 7.9 ft. For more fish-species variety, Gull Lake edges ahead with 13 documented species.
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Where to stay near Gull Lake and Medicine Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.