Lower Cullen Lake vs Upper Cullen Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lower Cullen Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Upper Cullen Lake (B, Good). Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Lower Cullen Lake and Upper Cullen 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. The grades are close: Lower Cullen Lake (A) and Upper Cullen Lake (B) 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.
Lower Cullen Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 17.4 ft down.
Upper Cullen Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9.4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lower Cullen Lake | Upper Cullen Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 17.4 ft | 9.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | 14.5 µg/L | 23 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 39 ft | 40 ft |
| Surface Area | 559.97 acres | 441.47 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | No |
| 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
Lower Cullen Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Upper Cullen Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 17.4 ft vs 9.4 ft. For fishing diversity, Lower Cullen Lake also leads with 1 species.