Little Spirit Lake vs Round Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Round Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Little Spirit Lake. 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 differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are close: Little Spirit Lake and Round 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 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 3.3 ft Better | 2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 236 µg/L | 77 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 19.3 µg/L | 14.7 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 8 ft | 9 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 624 acres | 930 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 23 Better | 17 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
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 Spirit Lake and Round Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. 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.
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Where to stay near Little Spirit Lake and Round Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.