Height of Land Lake vs Island Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Island Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Height of Land Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Becker County, Minnesota.
Both Height of Land Lake and Island 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: Height of Land Lake (C) and Island Lake (B) 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.
Height of Land Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft.
Island Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Height of Land Lake | Island Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 6.6 ft | 14.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 25 µg/L | 20 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 21 ft | 38 ft |
| Surface Area | 3.8K acres | 1.2K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Island Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Height of Land Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 14.6 ft vs 6.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Island Lake also leads with 1 species.