Boxell Lake
Cass County, Minnesota66 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Boxell Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Mesotrophic
- 27 ft max depth
Boxell Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 27 ft. Surface area: 65.82 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 16, 2014 caught 13.25 northern pike per gill net at Boxell Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–35 inches. DNR survey details →
Boxell Lake is a 66-acre mesotrophic lake in Cass County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 27 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 103 other monitored lakes in Cass County, Boxell Lake ranks #77 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-10-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Boxell Lake covers about 66 acres in Cass County. If you are planning to stay, you can search lake houses and cabins around Boxell Lake on Vrbo, or look for a hotel room near the lake on Booking.com or Expedia.
What Boxell Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water14.5 ft of visibility
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLow algae
Based on clarity and algae readings from past sampling — there is no live water temperature and a current cyanobacteria reading for this lake. Check your state or county health department before you swim.
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Boxell Lake is safe to swim in today is a call for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and the Minnesota DNR and the county health department, who post current advisories. LakeQuality does not issue swimming clearances.
Water quality measurements for Boxell Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Boxell Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Good clarity, visible to about 14.5 ft. Phosphorus 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 3.6 µg/L. TSI 41.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 14.5ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 14µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 3.6µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 41 | Mesotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Moderate nutrients, good water quality
Ask about Boxell Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Boxell Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in October. Summer average is about 65°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 67°F) and coldest in Oct (about 55°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (55°F) to its warmest (67°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 172 field readings (2023–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Boxell Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 16, 2014 caught 13.25 northern pike per gill net at Boxell Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–35 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Boxell Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
5 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2014-06-16 (Standard Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2014-06-16 (Standard Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 20.60 | 2–8 in 2014-06-16 | 0.13 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 14.00 | 5–9 in 2014-06-16 | 0.12 lb |
| Northern Pike | 4.92 | 11–35 in 2014-06-16 | 2.91 lb |
| Pumpkinseed | 4.65 | 6–8 in 2014-06-16 | 0.24 lb |
| Black Crappie | 4.14 | 4–11 in 2014-06-16 | 0.27 lb |
| Largemouth Bass | 0.86 | 5–17 in 2014-06-16 | 0.89 lb |
CPUE = catch per unit effort, fish caught per net per set in a standardised survey. It measures abundance, not size, and is not a weekly bite report.
Length Distributions
Number of fish caught at each inch class in the most recent survey that recorded lengths. Red dashed line marks an approximate trophy threshold for that species.
Bluegill
Yellow Perch
Northern Pike
Pumpkinseed
From the 2014-06-16 survey
Boxell Lake is a 60-acre lake located near Longville, MN that has 2.14 miles of shoreline and a maximum depth of 27 ft. There is user-developed access on the southwest shore of the lake. The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (MNDNR) has classified Minnesota lakes into 43 different classes based on physical,…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Boxell Lake. 2 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BoxellFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Boxell (1582)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
27 ft
Surface area
66 acres
Shoreline
2.1 mi
Littoral zone
74%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
2 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,335 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Boxell Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Boxell Lake in Cass County, Minnesota — live availability and prices for your trip. Switch the map to Satellite to see the lake and how close each stay is to the water.
Top-rated places to stay near Boxell Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Fishing Boxell Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Worsening6 years
Phosphorus
Stable+0.14 µg/L/yr6 years
Chlorophyll-a
Worsening+0.09 µg/L/yr6 years
Nearby Lakes in Cass County
Frequently asked questions about Boxell Lake
Where is Boxell Lake?
- Boxell Lake is a lake in Cass County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Boxell Lake?
- Boxell Lake in Cass County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 14.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 14 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 3.6 µg/L. Maximum depth: 27 ft. Surface area: 65.82 acres.
Is Boxell Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Boxell Lake?
- Boxell Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in October, from 172 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2023–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Boxell Lake?
- Boxell Lake has a maximum depth of 27 feet. The lake covers 65.82 acres.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Boxell Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on June 16, 2014 caught 13.25 northern pike per gill net at Boxell Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 11–35 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Boxell Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Can I fish at Boxell Lake?
- Public access to Boxell Lake is listed as no on the lake record, so confirm before you make the trip. Seasons, size and bag limits, and whether you need a license are set by Minnesota's fish and wildlife agency, so check its current regulations before you go.
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Where this data comes from
75 measurements from 3 monitoring stations, 2023–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe
LEECHLAK_WQX45 samples · 2023–2024 - Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA30 samples · 2023–2024
Analytical methods
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- Nitrate-Nitrite Nitrogen by Colorimetry
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (3)
EPA condition classes from the National Lakes Assessment (EPA 841-R-24-006, Table 6-3), applied by ecoregion. See where the data comes from and data sources.
Other records on this page
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder