Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Julia Lake vs Little Turtle Lake

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

Julia Lake has a higher water quality grade (B, Good) than Little Turtle Lake (B, Good). Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.

Julia Lake and Little Turtle 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Julia Lake (B) versus Little Turtle 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.

B

Julia Lake

Beltrami County, Minnesota

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.4 ft.

B

Little Turtle Lake

Beltrami County, Minnesota

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7 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.

MetricJulia LakeLittle Turtle Lake
Overall GradeB (Good)B (Good)
Water Clarity7.4 ft7 ft
Phosphorus17.5 µg/L23 µg/L
Chlorophyll-a (Algae)No dataNo data
Maximum Depth43 ft25 ft
Surface Area511.26 acres468.5 acres
Public AccessYesNo
Fish Species11
Trophic Statemesotrophicmesotrophic

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

Verdict

Julia Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade B versus Little Turtle Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 7.4 ft vs 7 ft. For fishing diversity, Julia Lake also leads with 1 species.