Black Lake

On the LakeGrade scale Black Lake grades a B, with clarity at 10.5 ft and 22 µg/L of phosphorus placing it above the Minnesota median. The three sub-grades — clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a — track close together, so no single parameter is dragging the average.

Mesotrophic conditions dominate at Black Lake: enough nutrients for a healthy fishery, not so much that algal blooms become a chronic problem. A maximum depth of 42 ft puts Black Lake in the middle of Minnesota's depth distribution. Black Lake covers 271 acres alongside 3.9 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Black Lake sits at rank 56 of 86 in Beltrami County, in the lower half of the local distribution.

Black Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2024, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 13 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.