Cruiser Lake
St. Louis County, Minnesota118 acresView mapDirections
Minnesota PCA publishes the water-quality measurements for Cruiser Lake. Here is what has been measured.
- Oligotrophic
- Impaired · Mercury
- 91 ft max depth
- Limited data
Cruiser Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 25.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 5.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 91 ft. Surface area: 117.53 acres.
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 17, 2015 caught 11.50 lake trout per gill net at Cruiser Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–20 inches. DNR survey details →
Cruiser Lake is a 118-acre cold, clear oligotrophic lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 91 feet (44-foot average). Overall water quality is declining over recent sampling years. The lake supports 2 documented fish species including white sucker and yellow perch. No public access — the lake is private or restricted. Compared to the 67 other monitored lakes in St. Louis County, Cruiser Lake ranks #39 for water quality.
Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2024-08-27. Methodology: how these readings are compared.
What Cruiser Lake is good for
From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.
- Clear water25.4 ft of visibility
- Deep water91 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. Cruiser Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
Whether Cruiser 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 Cruiser Lake
These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Cruiser 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 25.4 ft down. Phosphorus 5.8 µg/L. TSI 30.
| Measure | Reading | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|
| Water clarity (Secchi depth) | 25.4ft | Measured, not scored How deep a black-and-white disk stays visible from the surface. Higher is clearer. |
| Total phosphorus | 5.8µg/L | Good GoodFairPoor |
| 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. | 30 | Oligotrophic OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic |
Low nutrients, clear water. No reading is a swimming clearance.
Ask about Cruiser Lake
Answers come straight from the public measurements and survey records on this page.
Water Temperature
Cruiser Lake typically sits around 54°F at the surface in August. Summer average is about 53°F. Usually warmest in Jul (about 54°F) and coldest in Jun (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 (54°F).
Typical surface water temperature by month, from 831 field readings (2010–2024) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Cruiser Lake water temperature breakdown →
Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 17, 2015 caught 11.50 lake trout per gill net at Cruiser Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–20 inches.
A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Cruiser 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
3 surveys on file from MN DNR Fisheries. Most recent: 2015-08-17 (Targeted Survey).
3 surveys on file · most recent 2015-08-17 (Targeted Survey)
| Species | Catch rate (CPUE) | Size | Avg weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Trout | 7.89 | 10–20 in 2015-08-17 | 1.15 lb |
| Yellow Perch | 6.22 | 6 in 2005-08-15 | 0.12 lb |
| White Sucker | 2.72 | 18–20 in 2015-08-17 | 2.42 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.
Lake Trout
Yellow Perch
White Sucker
From the 2015-08-17 survey
A targeted survey was completed on Cruiser Lake in 2015 as part of a regular rotation of surveys in the International Falls Management Area. Cruiser is a deep, clear lake in the heart of Voyageurs National Park. The lake has a maximum depth of 91 feet and water clarity of nearly 30 feet during the peak of the summer.…
DNR Reports & Resources
Minnesota DNR LakeFinder publishes lake survey, fish stocking, water access, and aquatic plant data for Cruiser Lake. 1 report on file.
These links open on the official state DNR websites (Wisconsin DNR survey PDFs · Minnesota DNR LakeFinder).
- —Fisheries Lake Survey — CruiserFisheries Lake Survey · MN DNR LakeFinder
Lake Details
Max depth
91 ft
Average depth
43.7 ft
Surface area
118 acres
Shoreline
3.4 mi
Littoral zone
19%
Share shallower than 15 ft
Public access
No
Listed by Minnesota PCA
Lake Size & Watershed
Watershed (drainage) area
0 sq mi
HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS
Elevation
1,240 ft
Size, shoreline, and watershed area from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS).
Stays via Stay22
Stays near Cruiser Lake
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Top-rated places to stay near Cruiser Lake
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Follow Cruiser Lake’s readings
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Fish Species
Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.
Fishing Cruiser Lake
Water Quality Trend: Worsening
Based on 5 years of monitoring (2020–2024).
Water clarity
Worsening5 years
Phosphorus
Worsening+4.99 µg/L/yr3 years
EPA Impairment Status
Cruiser Lake is officially listed as impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) in the 2024 EPA reporting cycle (IR category 4A).
Causes of impairment
Designated uses not supporting: Fish consumption.
A Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) plan has been approved.
Source: EPA ATTAINS assessment unit MN69-0832-00 · Official waterbody report
Nearby Lakes in St. Louis County
Frequently asked questions about Cruiser Lake
Where is Cruiser Lake?
- Cruiser Lake is a lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota. Its water-quality measurements are published by Minnesota PCA and shown on this page as reported.
What is the water quality of Cruiser Lake?
- Cruiser Lake in St. Louis County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 25.4 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 5.8 µg/L. Maximum depth: 91 ft. Surface area: 117.53 acres.
Is Cruiser Lake safe to swim in?
- Nutrient and algae readings are not a swimming clearance. Cruiser Lake is listed impaired under Clean Water Act §303(d) (IR 4A) for mercury. Check local advisories before you swim.
What is the water temperature of Cruiser Lake?
- Cruiser Lake typically sits around 54°F at the surface in August, from 831 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2010–2024). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.
How deep is Cruiser Lake?
- Cruiser Lake has a maximum depth of 91 feet and an average depth of 43.7 feet. The lake covers 117.53 acres.
What fish are in Cruiser Lake?
- Fish species found in Cruiser Lake include white sucker, yellow perch. Cruiser Lake is located in St. Louis County, Minnesota.
What did the DNR fisheries survey find at Cruiser Lake?
- Minnesota DNR's Targeted Survey on August 17, 2015 caught 11.50 lake trout per gill net at Cruiser Lake. Length samples in the latest survey that recorded them ran 10–20 inches. A DNR fisheries survey reports fish abundance and catch rates, not water quality. LakeQuality shows Cruiser 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.
Can I fish at Cruiser Lake?
- Public access to Cruiser 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.
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Where this data comes from
18 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2020–2024. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.
Collected and reported by
- National Park Service Water Resources Division
11NPSWRD_WQX18 samples · 2020–2024
Analytical methods
- Secchi Disk
- Alkaline Persulfate Digestion for Total N and P in Water
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
Impairment status from EPA ATTAINS 303(d) database
Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)
Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder