Shallow Lake vs Swan Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Shallow Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Swan Lake. Both are in Itasca County, Minnesota.
Both Shallow Lake and Swan 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: Shallow Lake and Swan 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.
Shallow Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 16.4 ft down.
Swan Lake
Good clarity, visible to about 13.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Shallow Lake | Swan Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 16.4 ft Better | 13.5 ft |
| Phosphorus | 9 µg/L Better | 18 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 3.2 µg/L Better | 5.2 µg/L |
| Maximum Depth | 85 ft Better | 65 ft |
| Surface Area | 539 acres | 2,456 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 12 | 17 Better |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | 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
Shallow Lake and Swan Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Shallow Lake: 16.4 ft, Swan Lake: 13.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Shallow Lake has fewer fish species than Swan Lake.
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Where to stay near Shallow Lake and Swan Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Shallow Lake and Swan 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.