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LakeQuality

Hungry Jack Lake vs Rose Lake

Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.

Hungry Jack Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Rose Lake (B, Good). Both are in Cook County, Minnesota.

Both Hungry Jack Lake and Rose 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 — Hungry Jack Lake (A) versus Rose Lake (B). 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.

A

Hungry Jack Lake

Cook County, Minnesota

Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.

B

Rose Lake

Cook County, Minnesota

Good clarity, visible to about 14.5 ft.

Side-by-Side Metrics

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.

MetricHungry Jack LakeRose Lake
Overall GradeA (Excellent)B (Good)
Water Clarity18 ft14.5 ft
Phosphorus7 µg/LNo data
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth71 ft130 ft
Surface Area474.28 acres476.95 acres
Public AccessYesNo
Fish Species11
Trophic Stateoligotrophicoligotrophic

Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).

Verdict

Hungry Jack Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Rose Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 18 ft vs 14.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Hungry Jack Lake also leads with 1 species.