Long Lake vs Lower Bottle Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Long Lake and Lower Bottle Lake read the same on nutrients and algae. Both are in Hubbard County, Minnesota.
Long Lake and Lower Bottle 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 sit close on the readings, Long Lake versus Lower Bottle Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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.
Long Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11.2 ft.
Lower Bottle Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Long Lake | Lower Bottle Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 11.2 ft | 15 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 10 µg/L | 10 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 4.5 µg/L | 2.5 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 135 ft Better | 110 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,926 acres | 641 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| Fish Species | 14 Better | 13 |
| 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.
Swap a lake
Compare Long Lake or Lower Bottle Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Long Lake: 11.2 ft, Lower Bottle Lake: 15 ft) and what you want from the lake. Long Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.