Middle Cullen Lake vs Upper Cullen Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Middle Cullen Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Upper Cullen Lake. Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Both Middle Cullen Lake and Upper Cullen 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: Middle Cullen Lake and Upper Cullen 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.
Middle Cullen Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.5 ft.
Upper Cullen Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.7 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Middle Cullen Lake | Upper Cullen Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 13.5 ft Better | 8.7 ft |
| Phosphorus | 14 µg/L Better | 23 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.7 µg/L Better | 6.8 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 48 ft Better | 40 ft |
| Surface Area | 405 acres | 441 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 15 Better | 14 |
| 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.
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Verdict
Middle Cullen Lake and Upper Cullen Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Middle Cullen Lake: 13.5 ft, Upper Cullen Lake: 8.7 ft) and what you want from the lake. Middle Cullen Lake supports more documented fish species.
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Where to stay near Middle Cullen Lake and Upper Cullen Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.