Horseshoe Lake vs Long Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Horseshoe Lake and Long Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Stearns County, Minnesota.
Horseshoe Lake and Long 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. These two sit close on the readings, Horseshoe Lake versus Long Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Horseshoe Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4 ft.
Long Lake
Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Horseshoe Lake | Long Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 4 ft Better | 2.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 120 µg/L | 61 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 44.5 µg/L | 41 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 57 ft Better | 35 ft |
| Surface Area | 629 acres | 487 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 25 Better | 23 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
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.
Swap a lake
Compare Horseshoe Lake or Long Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade F. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Horseshoe Lake: 4 ft, Long Lake: 2.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Horseshoe Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.