Little Spirit Lake vs Round Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Little Spirit Lake and Round Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of D (Poor). Both are in Jackson County, Minnesota.
Both Little Spirit Lake and Round 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 close: Little Spirit Lake (D) and Round Lake (D) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Little Spirit Lake
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility.
Round Lake
Very murky, less than 2 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Little Spirit Lake | Round Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | D (Poor) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 3.3 ft | 2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 236 µg/L | 77 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 19.3 µg/L | 14.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 8 ft | 9 ft |
| Surface Area | 624 acres | 930 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 23 | 17 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade D. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Little Spirit Lake: 3.3 ft, Round Lake: 2 ft) and what you want from the lake. Little Spirit Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.