Midge Lake vs Wolf Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Midge Lake and Wolf Lake both received the same overall water quality grade of A (Excellent). Both are in Minnesota.
Midge Lake and Wolf 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 — Midge Lake (A) versus Wolf 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.
Midge Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.
Wolf Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 9 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Midge Lake | Wolf Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 18 ft | 9 ft |
| Phosphorus | 16 µg/L | 19 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 2.5 µg/L | 5.3 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 24 ft | 57 ft |
| Surface Area | 546 acres | 1,076 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 11 | 18 |
| 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 (Midge Lake: 18 ft, Wolf Lake: 9 ft) and what you want from the lake. Midge Lake has fewer fish species than Wolf Lake.
Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.