Maple Lake vs Sand Hill Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Maple Lake and Sand Hill Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of C (Fair). Both are in Polk County, Minnesota.
Both Maple Lake and Sand Hill 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 — Maple Lake (C) versus Sand Hill Lake (C). 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.
Maple Lake
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility.
Sand Hill Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 6.9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Maple Lake | Sand Hill Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 3.3 ft | 6.9 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 38.5 µg/L | 26 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 17.8 µg/L | 6.8 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 14 ft | 17 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 1,641 acres | 479 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 12 Better | 6 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | mesotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
Swap a lake
Compare Maple Lake or Sand Hill Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Both lakes earn the same Grade C. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Maple Lake: 3.3 ft, Sand Hill Lake: 6.9 ft) and what you want from the lake. Maple Lake supports more documented fish species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.