Lower Hay Lake vs North Long Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lower Hay Lake and North Long Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Lower Hay Lake and North Long 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 Hay Lake (A) and North Long Lake (A) 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 Hay Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 19.5 ft down.
North Long Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15.1 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lower Hay Lake | North Long Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 19.5 ft | 15.1 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 14 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 100 ft | 97 ft |
| Surface Area | 700.21 acres | 6.2K acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 21 | 18 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade A. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Lower Hay Lake: 19.5 ft, North Long Lake: 15.1 ft) and what you want from the lake. Lower Hay Lake supports more documented fish species.