Little Big Lake vs Swenson Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Swenson Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Little Big Lake. Both are in Beltrami County, Minnesota.
Both Little Big Lake and Swenson Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are close: Little Big 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.
Little Big Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.3 ft.
Swenson Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 20.7 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Little Big Lake | Swenson Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 9.3 ft | 20.7 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 13.5 µg/L | 8 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.8 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 | mesotrophic | 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
Little Big Lake and Swenson Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Little Big Lake: 9.3 ft, Swenson Lake: 20.7 ft) and what you want from the lake. Little Big Lake supports more documented fish species.
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Where to stay near Little Big Lake and Swenson Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Little Big 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.