Briar Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota79 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Briar Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- 21 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Briar Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 21 ft. Surface area: 79.32 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on October 12, 2009 caught 4.33 rainbow trout per trap net at Briar Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–13 inches. DNR survey details →
Briar Lake is a 79-acre lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 21 feet. The lake supports 3 documented fish species including black bullhead, rainbow trout, and white sucker. Public access is available.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-07. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
Briar Lake covers about 79 acres in St. Louis County. The median ice-out date is April 24, which is when the open-water season begins. For a place on the water, look through cabin and lake-house rentals near Briar Lake on Vrbo. For a hotel or motel room, Booking.com and Expedia both search around the lake.
What Briar Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Fishing3 species recorded
- Ice seasonIce-out around Apr 24
Swimming conditions
No readingLimited data
Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Briar 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 Briar Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Briar Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Murky, only visible to about 6 ft. TSI 51.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 6ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | No reading The nutrient that most limits algae growth in freshwater. More phosphorus, more algae potential. | |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | No reading The green pigment in algae — a direct measure of how much algae is in the water. | |
| Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a. | 51 | Eutrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
High nutrients, frequent algae, reduced clarity
Ask about Briar Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Briar Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 74°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 77°F) and coldest in May (about 60°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (60°F) to its warmest (77°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 17 field readings (2024–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Briar Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on October 12, 2009 caught 4.33 rainbow trout per trap net at Briar Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–13 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Briar Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
DNR Fisheries Survey Summary
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2009-10-12 (Standard Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2009-10-12 (Standard Survey)
17 years old| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| White Sucker | 13.49 | 5–15 in 2009-10-12 | 0.47 lb |
| Rainbow Trout | 5.27 | 7–13 in 2009-10-12 | 0.47 lb |
| Black Bullhead | 4.33 | 4–9 in 2009-10-12 | 0.35 lb |
| Golden Shiner | 2.25 | 4–7 in 2009-10-12 | 0.11 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.
White Sucker
Rainbow Trout
Black Bullhead
Golden Shiner
From the 2009-10-12 survey
Briar is a 89 acre lake with 67 acres (75%) of littoral area and a maximum depth of 21 feet. The lake is located 13 miles north of Duluth, Minnesota off Highway #44 on County Road #272. The lake has a carry-down access located along the southwest shore. A population assessment (trapnets only) was conducted during the…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Briar Lake. 4 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BriarFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Briar (0490)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Fish Stocking History — BriarFish Stocking History · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BriarPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
21 ft
Surface area
79 acres
Shoreline
2.6 mi
Littoral zone
84%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
1 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,467 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Briar Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Briar Lake in St. Louis 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 Briar Lake
Prices for Oct 9–11, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.
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Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Briar Lake
Water Quality Trend: Stable
Based on 6 years of monitoring (2020–2025).
Water clarity
Stable6 years
Ice season
Typical ice-out
Apr 24
Earliest Apr 9, 2021 · Latest May 4, 2018
Most recent ice-out
Apr 9
2021
8 observations · Minnesota PCA ice records
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Briar Lake
Where is Briar Lake?
- Briar Lake is a lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Briar Lake?
- Briar Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 6 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 21 ft. Surface area: 79.32 acres.
Is Briar 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 Briar Lake?
- Briar Lake typically sits around 70°F at the surface in September, from 17 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2024–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Briar Lake?
- Briar Lake has a maximum depth of 21 feet. The lake covers 79.32 acres.
What fish are in Briar Lake?
- Fish species found in Briar Lake include black bullhead, rainbow trout, white sucker. Briar Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Briar Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on October 12, 2009 caught 4.33 rainbow trout per trap net at Briar Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 7–13 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Briar Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 6 years of monitoring is stable. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
When does Briar Lake thaw?
- Briar Lake typically has ice-out around Apr 24.
Can I fish at Briar Lake?
- Public access to Briar Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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
51 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA51 samples · 2020–2025
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (1)
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
Ice data from Minnesota DNR Climate