Burns Lake
Itasca County, Minnesota181 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Burns Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- 100 ft max depth
- Public access
- Limited data
Burns Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 100 ft. Surface area: 181.29 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 19, 2020 caught 10.61 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Burns Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–15 inches. DNR survey details →
Burns Lake is a 181-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in Itasca County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 100 feet (40-foot average). Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 10 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and hybrid sunfish. Public access is available with 1 public boat landing. Compared to the 71 other monitored lakes in Itasca County, Burns Lake ranks #38 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2022-06-14. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Burns Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water16.1 ft of visibility
- Boat launch1 documented ramp
- Fishing10 species recorded
- Deep water100 ft surveyed max depth
Swimming conditions
Readings onlyLimited data
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 Burns 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 Burns Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Burns Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.
Crystal clear, you can see 16.1 ft down. Phosphorus 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 1.9 µg/L. TSI 36.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 16.1ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| Chlorophyll-a (algae) | 1.9µg/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. | 36 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Burns Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Burns Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 55°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 58°F) and coldest in May (about 50°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.
Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (50°F) to its warmest (58°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 100 field readings (2021–2022) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Burns Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 19, 2020 caught 10.61 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Burns Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–15 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Burns Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is improving. 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: 2020-08-19 (Targeted Survey).
5 surveys on file · most recent 2020-08-19 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bluegill | 32.80 | 3–8 in 2020-07-07 | 0.14 lb |
| Bluntnose Minnow | 28.28 | ||
| Largemouth Bass | 17.26 | 3–15 in 2020-07-07 | 0.7 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 7.57 | 5–9 in 2020-07-07 | 0.13 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
Largemouth Bass
Yellow Perch
From the 2020-08-19 survey
A targeted survey of nearshore fish species in Burns Lake was conducted beginning on August 19th, 2020 by Index of Biological Integrity (IBI) Program Staff. Sampling sites were evenly spaced around the lake and each was sampled by backpack electrofishing and seining with a 50-foot or 15-foot seine, where possible.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Burns Lake. 3 reports on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — BurnsFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Aquatic Plant Report — Burns (0713)Aquatic Plant Report · MN DNR LakeFinder
- —Public Water Access Sites — BurnsPublic Water Access Sites · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
100 ft
Average depth
40 ft
Surface area
181 acres
Shoreline
4.3 mi
Littoral zone
43%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
Yes
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
47 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,355 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Recreation & Access
- Burns LakePublic
Named access points in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory, within about 3 miles. More lakes with boat ramps
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Burns Lake
Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Burns Lake in Itasca 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 Burns Lake
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Follow Burns Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Burns Lake
Water quality readings over time
2 seasons of samples on record (2021–2022). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.
Water clarity
Improving2 years
Phosphorus
Improving-1 µg/L/yr2 years
Chlorophyll-a
Improving-0.2 µg/L/yr2 years
Nearby Lakes in Itasca County
Frequently asked questions about Burns Lake
Where is Burns Lake?
- Burns Lake is a lake in Itasca County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Burns Lake?
- Burns Lake in Itasca County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 16.1 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 8 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 1.9 µg/L. Maximum depth: 100 ft. Surface area: 181.29 acres.
Is Burns 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 Burns Lake?
- Burns Lake typically sits around 55°F at the surface in September, from 100 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2021–2022). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Burns Lake?
- Burns Lake has a maximum depth of 100 feet and an average depth of 40 feet. The lake covers 181.29 acres.
What fish are in Burns Lake?
- Fish species found in Burns Lake include black crappie, bluegill, hybrid sunfish, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, white sucker, yellow bullhead, yellow perch. Burns Lake is located in Itasca County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Burns Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 19, 2020 caught 10.61 largemouth bass per hour of electrofishing at Burns Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 3–15 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Burns Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 2 years of monitoring is improving. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.
Are there boat ramps on Burns Lake?
- Burns Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. Named access points include Burns Lake. Public access is listed as yes.
Can I fish at Burns Lake?
- Burns Lake has 1 documented boat landing in the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory. 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.
Explore Burns Lake across LakeQuality
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Where this data comes from
19 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2021–2022. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface Water
MNPCA19 samples · 2021–2022
Analytical methods
- Field measurement/observation, generic method
- Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
- Phosphorus by Colorimetry
- 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
- 2130 B ~ Nephelometric Method
- 2120 B ~ Color in Water by Visual Comparison
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
Named boat-access points from the USGS National Boat Ramps inventory