Crow Wing Lake

Crow Wing Lake earns a D — measurements through 2022 show persistent nutrient pressure that limits clarity through the summer. Clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate similarly, so there is no obvious single lever to pull on watershed management.

At a TSI of 51, Crow Wing Lake reads as eutrophic — nutrient-rich enough that summer algal growth and reduced clarity are expected, not unusual. The lake bottoms out at 26 ft — a moderate depth that supports a warm-water fishery without the year-round cold refuge a deeper basin provides. The lake's 379 acres and 3.9 miles of shoreline put it in the mid-range bucket — large enough for varied use, small enough that watershed inputs reach the whole basin. Within the 120 graded lakes of Crow Wing County, Crow Wing Lake sits at rank 118, near the bottom of the county list.

Crow Wing Lake has no invasive species recorded in Minnesota state databases as of 2022, though prevention practices still apply at all access points. Walleye are documented at Crow Wing Lake, one of 15 fish species on record for the lake. 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. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.