Height of Land Lake vs Island Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Island Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Height of Land Lake. 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 differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are meaningfully apart: Island Lake carries clearly lower phosphorus and chlorophyll-a readings than Height of Land Lake. A spread that wide reflects real underlying differences, in watershed inputs, depth profiles, or monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider gap in the readings is decisive: Island Lake has the lower nutrient and algae numbers. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Height of Land Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.6 ft.
Island Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Height of Land Lake | Island Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 6.6 ft | 15 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 27 µg/L | 19 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 8.6 µg/L | 3.2 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 21 ft | 38 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 3,795 acres | 1,179 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 13 | 15 Better |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | 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
Island Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Height of Land Lake. Water clarity: 15 ft vs 6.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Island Lake also leads with 15 species.
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Where to stay near Height of Land Lake and Island Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.