Hen Lake vs Rush Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Rush Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Hen Lake. Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Hen Lake and Rush 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. The readings are close: Hen Lake and Rush 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.
Hen Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 17.1 ft down.
Rush Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Hen Lake | Rush Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 17.1 ft | 18 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 14 µg/L | 13 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.4 µg/L | 2.1 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 105 ft | 105 ft |
| Surface Area | 858 acres | 858 acres |
| Public Access | No | No |
| Fish Species | 21 | 21 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | oligotrophic |
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
Hen Lake and Rush Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Hen Lake: 17.1 ft, Rush Lake: 18 ft) and what you want from the lake. Hen Lake matches its peer on species count.
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Where to stay near Hen Lake and Rush Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Hen Lake and Rush Lake. Both lakes are pinned on the map, so you can see which stays sit nearer the one you pick. Switch to Satellite to see how close each is to the water.
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.