Darling Lake

Darling Lake earns an A — water clarity, phosphorus, and chlorophyll-a all rate among the best monitored waters in Douglas County. Sub-grades cluster within a single letter of each other, which usually means the lake is in stable trophic balance rather than fighting one specific stressor.

The lake sits in the mesotrophic zone — the band where most well-managed Minnesota lakes fall. The lake's 62 ft maximum depth is in the upper tier for Minnesota — deep enough for cold-water fish to find refuge in summer. With 1,050 acres of surface and 6.8 miles of shoreline, Darling Lake is a large water by Minnesota standards — recreational pressure is spread across a long shoreline. Among the 51 graded lakes in Douglas County, Darling Lake sits at rank 17, above the county median.

Zebra mussel presence at Darling Lake means the lake's clarity numbers carry an asterisk — filtered water is not the same as nutrient-poor water. The fishery includes walleye alongside the lake's other 19 documented species — a notable draw for Minnesota anglers. No formal public access is documented at Darling Lake — most use is by shoreline residents and their guests. Ice-out has been recorded 7 times at Darling Lake, with a median around Apr 17. The grade is based on limited monitoring — fewer than three independent measurement years contribute, so future updates may shift the letter.