Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Cherry Lake

Lake County, Minnesota19 acresView mapDirections

Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Cherry Lake. Here is what has been measured.

Clarity
22 ft
Clearer than most
Secchi · sampled 2025
Max depth
30 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
19 acres
Surface area
Trend
Worsening
5 years of samples
Shoreline
1.1 mi
Measured length
  • 30 ft max depth
  • Limited data

Cherry Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 22 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 18.65 acres.

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 15, 1973 caught 52.00 yellow perch per gill net at Cherry Lake. DNR survey details →

Loading map…

Cherry Lake is a 19-acre lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 30 feet. Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. Limited fish-species data available. No public access — the lake is private or restricted.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-07-10. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Cherry Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Clear water22 ft of visibility
  • Deep water30 ft surveyed max depth

Swimming conditions

No reading

Limited data

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Cherry 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 Cherry Lake →

Water quality measurements for Cherry Lake

These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Cherry 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 22 ft down. TSI 33.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)22ftMeasured, not scored

How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer.

Total phosphorusNo 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.33Oligotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.

Ask about Cherry Lake

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

DNR fisheries survey

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 15, 1973 caught 52.00 yellow perch per gill net at Cherry Lake.

A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Cherry Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

DNR Fisheries Survey Summary

1 survey on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 1973-07-15 (Standard Survey).

1 survey on file · most recent 1973-07-15 (Standard Survey)

53 years old
SpeciesCatch rate (CPUE)SizeAvg weight
Yellow Perch
52.00
0.12 lb
Green Sunfish
3.00
0.05 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.

From the 1973-07-15 survey

Consists of green sunfish and perch. Both species are small in size.

Source: MN DNR LakeFinder Fisheries Lake Survey

DNR Reports & Resources

Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Cherry Lake. 1 report on file.

These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).

Lake Details

Max depth

30 ft

Surface area

19 acres

Shoreline

1.1 mi

Littoral zone

70%

Share shallower than 15 ft

Public access

No

Listed by Minnesota PCA

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

1 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,440 ft

Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Cherry Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Cherry Lake in Lake 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 Cherry Lake

Prices for Oct 9–11, 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 Cherry Lake’s readings

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


Or email

Fishing Cherry Lake

Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2025).

  • Water clarity

    Worsening

    5 years

See year-by-year chart →

Nearby Lakes in Lake County

Frequently asked questions about Cherry Lake

Where is Cherry Lake?

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

What is the water quality of Cherry Lake?

Cherry Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 22 ft visibility. Maximum depth: 30 ft. Surface area: 18.65 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Cherry Lake safe to swim in?

Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Check local advisories before you swim.

Swimming on this page ↑

How deep is Cherry Lake?

Cherry Lake has a maximum depth of 30 feet. The lake covers 18.65 acres.

What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Cherry Lake?

Minnesota DNR's Standard Survey on July 15, 1973 caught 52.00 yellow perch per gill net at Cherry Lake. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Cherry Lake’s water-quality measurements separately, and the water-quality trend over 5 years of monitoring is declining. Catch rate is not a swim clearance and is not a weekly bite report.

DNR on this page ↑

Can I fish at Cherry Lake?

Public access to Cherry 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.

Oligotrophic Lakes in Minnesota

Where this data comes from

15 measurements from 7 monitoring stations, 2020–2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface WaterMNPCA15 samples · 2020–2025

Analytical methods

  • Field measurement/observation, generic method
Monitoring station identifiers (7)

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