Marion Lake vs Winsted Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Marion Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Winsted Lake. Both are in McLeod County, Minnesota.
Both Marion Lake and Winsted Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are close: Marion Lake and Winsted Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
With readings 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.
Marion Lake
No clarity data.
Winsted Lake
Very murky, less than 3.3 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Marion Lake | Winsted Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | No data | 3.3 ft |
| Phosphorus | 71 µg/L Better | 547 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 73 µg/L | 52.3 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 15.2 ft Better | 12 ft |
| Surface Area | 520 acres | 382 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 13 | 13 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | hypereutrophic |
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.
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Verdict
Marion Lake and Winsted Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to what you want from the lake. Marion Lake matches its peer on species count.
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Where to stay near Marion Lake and Winsted Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Marion Lake and Winsted Lake. Both lakes are pinned on the map, so you can see which stays sit nearer the one you pick. Switch to Satellite to see how close each is to the water.
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.