Horseshoe Lake vs Long Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Horseshoe Lake and Long Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of F (Very Poor). 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 are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Horseshoe Lake (F) versus Long Lake (F). 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
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | F (Very Poor) | F (Very Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 4 ft | 2.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 120 µg/L | 61 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 44.5 µg/L | 41 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 57 ft | 35 ft |
| Surface Area | 629 acres | 487 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 25 | 23 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
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.