Alexander Lake

Alexander Lake sits at the top of the Minnesota PCA grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in Minnesota. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

A TSI near 41 places Alexander Lake in the mesotrophic band — moderate productivity, with seasonal swings between clearer spring water and richer late-summer conditions. At 64 ft of maximum depth, Alexander Lake stratifies reliably through the summer — the hypolimnion stays cooler and clearer than the surface layer suggests. At 2,709 acres, Alexander Lake is one of the larger lakes in Morrison County, with 16.3 miles of shoreline supporting multiple distinct use patterns. Among the 16 graded lakes in Morrison County, Alexander Lake ranks 2 — in the top quartile locally.

Alexander Lake is on the Minnesota infested-waters list for zebra mussels — boaters should follow clean-drain-dry protocols when moving gear to or from the lake. Alexander Lake's fishery is anchored by muskellunge, with 19 documented species in total — a destination water for muskie anglers. A documented public access point at Alexander Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Ice-out has been logged at Alexander Lake more than two dozen times, putting the median around Apr 17 — a useful baseline for tracking climate trends. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.