Silver Island Lake vs Windy Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Windy Lake reads lower on nutrients and algae than Silver Island Lake. Both are in Lake County, Minnesota.
Both Silver Island Lake and Windy 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: Silver Island Lake and Windy 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.
Silver Island Lake
Murky, only visible to about 4.4 ft.
Windy Lake
Murky, only visible to about 5.5 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Silver Island Lake | Windy Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Water Clarity | 4.4 ft | 5.5 ft Better |
| Phosphorus | 22 µg/L | 11 µg/L Better |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | 5.9 µg/L | 2.1 µg/L Better |
| Maximum Depth | 16 ft | 39 ft Better |
| Surface Area | 1,239 acres | 456 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 11 Better | 7 |
| Trophic State | eutrophic | 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
Silver Island Lake and Windy Lake read the same on nutrients and algae overall. The tiebreakers come down to clarity (Silver Island Lake: 4.4 ft, Windy Lake: 5.5 ft) and what you want from the lake. Silver Island Lake supports more documented fish species.
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Where to stay near Silver Island Lake and Windy Lake
Compare cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals around Silver Island Lake and Windy 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.
Top-rated places to stay near Silver Island Lake and Windy Lake
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Source: EPA National Aquatic Resource Surveys, 2026.