Itasca Lake vs Long Lost Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Long Lost Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Itasca Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Clearwater County, Minnesota.
Both Itasca Lake and Long Lost 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. The grades are meaningfully apart: Long Lost Lake grades a A while Itasca Lake grades a C. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Long Lost Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Itasca Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.3 ft.
Long Lost Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 22 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Itasca Lake | Long Lost Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 6.3 ft | 22 ft |
| Phosphorus | 28 µg/L | 10.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 40 ft | 63 ft |
| Surface Area | 1.1K acres | 539.04 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Long Lost Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Itasca Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 22 ft vs 6.3 ft. For fishing diversity, Long Lost Lake also leads with 1 species.