Lower Hay Lake vs Whitefish Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Lower Hay Lake and Whitefish Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Lower Hay Lake and Whitefish 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 are within a letter of each other on the rubric — Lower Hay Lake (A) versus Whitefish Lake (A). 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.
Lower Hay Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18.5 ft down.
Whitefish Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 14.4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Lower Hay Lake | Whitefish Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 18.5 ft | 14.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | 13 µg/L | 14 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.7 µg/L | 2.7 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 100 ft | 138 ft |
| Surface Area | 700 acres | 7,714 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 21 | 23 |
| 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: 18.5 ft, Whitefish Lake: 14.4 ft) and what you want from the lake. Lower Hay Lake has fewer fish species than Whitefish Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.