Ossawinnamakee Lake vs Pine Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Ossawinnamakee Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Pine Lake (A, Excellent). Both are in Crow Wing County, Minnesota.
Both Ossawinnamakee Lake and Pine 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. The grades are close: Ossawinnamakee Lake (A) and Pine Lake (A) 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.
Ossawinnamakee Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 20 ft down.
Pine Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 11.6 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Ossawinnamakee Lake | Pine Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | A (Excellent) |
| Water Clarity | 20 ft | 11.6 ft |
| Phosphorus | 10 µg/L | 19.5 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | - | - |
| Surface Area | 662 acres | 400 acres |
| Public Access | Unknown | Unknown |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | mesotrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Ossawinnamakee Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Pine Lake's Grade A. Water clarity: 20 ft vs 11.6 ft. For fishing diversity, Ossawinnamakee Lake also leads with 1 species.