Crow Wing Lake

Crow Wing Lake earns a D — measurements through 2022 show persistent nutrient pressure that limits clarity through the summer.

A TSI in the eutrophic range signals a lake doing what nutrient-loaded waters do — supporting an active algal community at the cost of clear water. Crow Wing Lake reaches 26 ft at its deepest point — typical for Minnesota mid-sized lakes, with seasonal stratification but limited cold-water refuge. At 379 acres, Crow Wing Lake fits the Minnesota median for monitored lakes, with 3.9 miles of shoreline. Within the 120 graded lakes of Crow Wing County, Crow Wing Lake sits at rank 118, near the bottom of the county list.

No invasive species are currently listed at Crow Wing Lake — the lake remains off the Minnesota infested-waters roster. The fishery includes walleye among the lake's 15 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. A documented public access point at Crow Wing Lake makes the lake usable for shore fishing, paddle craft, and trailered boats. Ice-out has been logged at Crow Wing Lake more than two dozen times, putting the median around Apr 14 — a useful baseline for tracking climate trends. Monitoring depth is thin here: the LakeGrade rubric is applied to a small number of sample years, and the grade will be revised as more data accumulates.