Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Caribou Lake

Cook County, Minnesota718 acresView mapDirections

No nutrient or algae sampling on record from Minnesota PCA for this lake.

Max depth
27.5 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
718 acres
Surface area
Shoreline
10 mi
Measured length
  • Impaired · Mercury
  • 28 ft max depth

Caribou Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 27.5 ft. Surface area: 718 acres.

Loading map…

Caribou Lake is a 718-acre lake in Cook County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 28 feet.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

Swimming conditions

No reading

Not rated

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Caribou Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Caribou 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.

Compare swimming lakes near Ely →

Get alerts for Caribou Lake →

Water quality measurements for Caribou Lake

These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Caribou Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

No clarity data. TSI undefined.

Ask about Caribou Lake

Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.

Lake Details

Max depth

27.5 ft

Surface area

718 acres

Shoreline

10 mi

The depth above comes from a bathymetric survey of this lake, not from a regional estimate.

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Caribou Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Caribou Lake in Cook 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 Caribou Lake

Prices for Oct 16–18, 4 adults. Change dates on the map below.

Availability and prices from Stay22 partners (Booking.com, Vrbo, Expedia). We may earn a commission from bookings, at no extra cost to you.

Planning a whole trip? See where to stay at Minnesota’s top lakes →

Follow Caribou Lake’s readings

Email me when new measurements post for this lake. Updates stay free.


Or email

Fishing Caribou Lake

EPA Impairment Status

Caribou Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).

Causes of impairment

Mercury

Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.

A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.

Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN16-0360-00 · Official waterbody report

Nearby Lakes in Cook County

Frequently asked questions about Caribou Lake

Where is Caribou Lake?

Caribou Lake is a lake in Cook County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.

What is the water quality of Caribou Lake?

Caribou Lake in Cook County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Maximum depth: 27.5 ft. Surface area: 718 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Caribou Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Caribou Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

How deep is Caribou Lake?

Caribou Lake has a maximum depth of 27.5 feet. The lake covers 718 acres.

Where this data comes from

Measurements for Caribou Lake come from the EPA Water Quality Portal. Per-sample source details are not recorded for this lake.

Other records on this page

Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database

Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder