Jessie Lake vs Swenson Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Swenson Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Jessie Lake. Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Jessie Lake and Swenson 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: Jessie Lake and Swenson 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.
Jessie Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.6 ft.
Swenson Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 20.7 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Jessie Lake | Swenson Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 4.6 ft | 20.7 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 23.5 µg/L | 8 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.6 µg/L | 2 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 35 ft | 76 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 3,598 acres | 412 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| Fish Species | 17 Better | 10 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | oligotrophic |
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
Jessie Lake and Swenson Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Jessie Lake: 4.6 ft, Swenson Lake: 20.7 ft) and what you want from the lake. Jessie Lake supports more documented fish species.
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Where to stay near Jessie Lake and Swenson Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Jessie Lake and Swenson 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.