Horseshoe Lake vs Upper Mission Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Horseshoe Lake and Upper Mission Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Both Horseshoe Lake and Upper Mission 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Horseshoe Lake (A) versus Upper Mission Lake (A). The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Horseshoe Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14.4 ft.
Upper Mission Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Horseshoe Lake | Upper Mission Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 14.4 ft | 11 ft |
| Phosphorus | 11 µg/L | 15.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.5 µg/L | 5.1 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 56 ft | 36 ft |
| Surface Area | 922 acres | 882 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 11 | 13 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Horseshoe Lake: 14.4 ft, Upper Mission Lake: 11 ft) and what you want from the lake. Horseshoe Lake has fewer fish species than Upper Mission Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.