Marion Lake vs Pelican Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pelican Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Marion Lake. Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Marion Lake and Pelican 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 sit close on the readings, Marion Lake versus Pelican Lake. The deciding factors for a recreational visitor are likely physical (depth, access, fish species) rather than water-quality differences.
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
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft.
Pelican Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Marion Lake | Pelican Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 11 ft | 16.4 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 18 µg/L | 15 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 7.3 µg/L | 3 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 62 ft Better | 55 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,624 acres | 3,962 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 17 | 20 Better |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | 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 Marion Lake or Pelican Lake against a different lake.
Verdict
Pelican Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Marion Lake. Water clarity: 16.4 ft vs 11 ft. For fishing diversity, Pelican Lake also leads with 20 species.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.