Blue Lake

Blue Lake sits at the top of the Minnesota PCA grading rubric with an A, a mark reached by the cleanest lakes in Minnesota.

The lake's low TSI puts it in oligotrophic territory — the cleanest of the four trophic classes, but also the most vulnerable to nutrient-driven shifts. The lake bottoms out at 48 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. Blue Lake covers 177 acres alongside 2.3 miles of shoreline — a mid-sized water that supports a working fishery without being so large that conditions diverge between basins. Among the 120 graded lakes in Crow Wing County, Blue Lake ranks 7 — in the top quartile locally.

No invasive species are currently listed at Blue Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The state fisheries records do not list documented species for Blue Lake, which usually reflects a lack of formal fisheries survey work rather than an empty lake. The lake lacks a documented public access point, so visitor use is limited. The lake has a partial ice record — 5 observed ice-outs, centered near Apr 12. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.