North Long Lake vs Upper South Long Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
North Long Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Upper South Long Lake (B, Good). Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Both North Long Lake and Upper South Long 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 South Long Lake (B). 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 South Long Lake
Murky, only visible to about 6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | North Long Lake | Upper South Long Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 15.1 ft | 6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 14 µg/L | 16 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 97 ft | 47 ft |
| Surface Area | 6.2K acres | 804.31 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 18 | 16 |
| 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 South Long Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 15.1 ft vs 6 ft. For fishing diversity, North Long Lake also leads with 18 species.