Long Lost Lake vs Pine Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Long Lost Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Pine Lake (B, Good). Both are in Clearwater County, Minnesota.
Both Long Lost Lake and Pine 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. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Long Lost Lake (A) versus Pine 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.
Long Lost Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 22 ft down.
Pine Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 10.2 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Long Lost Lake | Pine Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 22 ft | 10.2 ft |
| Phosphorus | 10.5 µg/L | 20 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 63 ft | 15 ft |
| Surface Area | 539.04 acres | 1.2K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Long Lost Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Pine Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 22 ft vs 10.2 ft. For fishing diversity, Long Lost Lake also leads with 1 species.