Portage Lake vs Sugar Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Sugar Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Portage Lake. Both are in Minnesota.
Both Portage Lake and Sugar Lake sit in Minnesota. A same-state comparison strips out the state-level water-quality regime as a variable: any differences in the readings here are about the lakes themselves, not the agencies sampling them. The readings are close: Portage Lake and Sugar 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.
Portage Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft.
Sugar Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 8.4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Portage Lake | Sugar Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 7.5 ft | 8.4 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 22 µg/L | 18 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 7.1 µg/L | 4.9 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 55 ft Better | 22 ft |
| Surface Area | 1,539 acres | 1,509 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 15 Better | 13 |
| 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
Portage Lake and Sugar Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Portage Lake: 7.5 ft, Sugar Lake: 8.4 ft) and what you want from the lake. Portage Lake supports more documented fish species.
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Where to stay near Portage Lake and Sugar Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.