Ida Lake vs Miltona Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Ida Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Miltona Lake. Both are in Douglas County, Minnesota.
Ida Lake and Miltona 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: Ida Lake and Miltona 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.
Ida Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Miltona Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18.7 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Ida Lake | Miltona Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 16.4 ft | 18.7 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 14 µg/L Better | 18 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3 µg/L | 2.9 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 106 ft Better | 105 ft |
| Surface Area | 4,445 acres | 5,731 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 19 | 19 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
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
Ida Lake and Miltona Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Ida Lake: 16.4 ft, Miltona Lake: 18.7 ft) and what you want from the lake. Ida Lake matches its peer on species count.
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Where to stay near Ida Lake and Miltona Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Ida Lake and Miltona 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.