North Long Lake vs Upper Mission Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
North Long Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Upper Mission Lake (A, Excellent). Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Both North Long Lake and Upper Mission Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any grade differences here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies grading them. These two are within a letter of each other on the rubric — North Long Lake (A) versus Upper Mission 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.
North Long Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 15.1 ft down.
Upper Mission Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | North Long Lake | Upper Mission Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 15.1 ft | 11 ft |
| Phosphorus | 14 µg/L | 15.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 97 ft | 36 ft |
| Surface Area | 6.2K acres | 881.57 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 18 | 13 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
North Long Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Upper Mission Lake's Grade A. Water clarity: 15.1 ft vs 11 ft. For fishing diversity, North Long Lake also leads with 18 species.