Pike Lake vs W Two Rivers Reservoir
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Pike Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than W Two Rivers Reservoir (C, Fair). Both are in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
Pike Lake and W Two Rivers Reservoir 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 grades are meaningfully apart: Pike Lake grades a A while W Two Rivers Reservoir grades a C. That two-letter spread reflects real underlying differences — different watershed inputs, different depth profiles, or different monitoring rigor.
For a recreational visitor, the wider grade gap is decisive — Pike Lake is the better water-quality choice. For a researcher, the gap is the interesting part: what is different about the two watersheds, and which of those differences is mutable?
Pike Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.
W Two Rivers Reservoir
Murky, only visible to about 6.4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Pike Lake | W Two Rivers Reservoir |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | C (Fair) |
| Water Clarity | 18 ft | 6.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | No data | 28 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 60 ft | 27 ft |
| Surface Area | 488.26 acres | 966.53 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 0 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Pike Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus W Two Rivers Reservoir's Grade C. Water clarity: 18 ft vs 6.4 ft. For fishing diversity, Pike Lake also leads with 1 species.