Mormon Trail Lake vs Nodaway Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Mormon Trail Lake has a higher water quality grade (C, Fair) than Nodaway Lake (D, Poor). Both are in Adair County, Wisconsin.
Mormon Trail Lake and Nodaway Lake are both in Iowa — 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. The grades are close: Mormon Trail Lake (C) and Nodaway Lake (D) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
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.
Mormon Trail Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6.2 ft.
Nodaway Lake
Very murky, less than 2.8 ft of visibility.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Mormon Trail Lake | Nodaway Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | C (Fair) | D (Poor) |
| Water Clarity | 6.2 ft | 2.8 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | No data |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 9.7 µg/L | 27.6 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 33 acres | 27 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 0 | 0 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Mormon Trail Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade C versus Nodaway Lake's Grade D. Water clarity: 6.2 ft vs 2.8 ft. For fishing diversity, Mormon Trail Lake also leads with 0 species.