Pelican Lake vs Star Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Star Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Pelican Lake. Both are in Otter Tail County, Minnesota.
Pelican Lake and Star 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. The readings are close: Pelican Lake and Star Lake sit within a narrow band of each other on phosphorus, chlorophyll-a and clarity. The per-parameter table below shows where the small differences actually live.
With readings 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.
Pelican Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Star Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 17 ft down.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pelican Lake | Star Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 16.4 ft | 17 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 15 µg/L | 13 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3 µg/L Better | 3.4 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 55 ft | 94 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 3,962 acres | 4,486 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 20 Better | 17 |
| Trophic State | mesotrophic | mesotrophic |
A green ✓ marks the better value for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better). Surface area and trophic state carry no tick — a bigger lake is not a better lake.
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Verdict
Pelican Lake and Star Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Pelican Lake: 16.4 ft, Star Lake: 17 ft) and what you want from the lake. Pelican Lake supports more documented fish species.
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Where to stay near Pelican Lake and Star Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Pelican Lake and Star Lake. Both lakes are pinned on the map, so you can see which stays sit nearer the one you pick. Switch to Satellite to see how close each is to the water.
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.