Johnson Lake vs Shallow Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Shallow Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Johnson Lake. Both are in Itasca County, Minnesota.
Johnson Lake and Shallow 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: Johnson Lake and Shallow 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.
Johnson Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15.7 ft down.
Shallow Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Johnson Lake | Shallow Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 15.7 ft | 16.4 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 9.5 µg/L | 9 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.7 µg/L Better | 3.2 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 88 ft Better | 85 ft |
| Surface Area | 434 acres | 539 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 11 | 12 Better |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | 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
Johnson Lake and Shallow Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Johnson Lake: 15.7 ft, Shallow Lake: 16.4 ft) and what you want from the lake. Johnson Lake has fewer fish species than Shallow Lake.
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Where to stay near Johnson Lake and Shallow Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Johnson Lake and Shallow 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.