Upper Maple Lake vs Waverly Lake
Water quality, depth, fish species, and recreation comparison.
Upper Maple Lake has a higher water quality grade (A, Excellent) than Waverly Lake (B, Good). Both are in Wright County, Minnesota.
Upper Maple Lake and Waverly 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 grades are close: Upper Maple Lake (A) and Waverly Lake (B) are within one letter of each other on the LakeGrade rubric. The per-parameter sub-grades below will show where the small differences actually live.
With grades 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.
Upper Maple Lake
Crystal clear, you can see 18 ft down.
Waverly Lake
Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.4 ft.
Side-by-Side Metrics
| Metric | Upper Maple Lake | Waverly Lake |
|---|---|---|
| Overall Grade | A (Excellent) | B (Good) |
| Water Clarity | 18 ft | 7.4 ft |
| Phosphorus | 16 µg/L | 28 µg/L |
| Chlorophyll-a (Algae) | No data | No data |
| Maximum Depth | 76 ft | 70.5 ft |
| Surface Area | 632.6 acres | 493.99 acres |
| Public Access | Yes | Yes |
| Fish Species | 1 | 1 |
| Trophic State | oligotrophic | eutrophic |
Bold value = better for that metric (lower phosphorus / chlorophyll = cleaner; higher Secchi / depth / species count = better).
Verdict
Upper Maple Lake wins on overall water quality with a Grade A versus Waverly Lake's Grade B. Water clarity: 18 ft vs 7.4 ft. For fishing diversity, Upper Maple Lake also leads with 1 species.