Lower Bottle Lake vs Third Crow Wing Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lower Bottle Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Third Crow Wing Lake (C, Fair). Both are in Hubbard County, Minnesota.
Both Lower Bottle Lake and Third Crow Wing 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 meaningfully apart: Lower Bottle Lake grades a A while Third Crow Wing Lake grades a C. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Lower Bottle Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Lower Bottle Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15 ft down.
Third Crow Wing Lake
Very murky, less than 2.5 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lower Bottle Lake | Third Crow Wing Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 15 ft | 2.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 10 µg/L | 21 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 110 ft | 35 ft |
| Surface Area | 641.17 acres | 643.4 acres |
| Public Access | No | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Lower Bottle Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Third Crow Wing Lake's Grade C. Water clarity: 15 ft vs 2.5 ft. For fishing diversity, Lower Bottle Lake also leads with 1 species.