Skip to main content
LakeQuality

Dragon Lake

Lake County, Minnesota79 acresView mapDirections

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

Clarity
7.5 ft
Typical for Minnesota
Secchi · sampled 2025
Phosphorus
17.5 µg/L
Typical for Minnesota
Measured by Minnesota PCA
Chlorophyll-a
7.3 µg/L
Typical for Minnesota
Measured by Minnesota PCA
Water temp
~59°F
Typical for Sep · EPA WQP
Max depth
15 ft
Bathymetric survey
Area
79 acres
Surface area
  • Mesotrophic
  • 15 ft max depth
  • Public access
  • Limited data

Dragon Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 17.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 15 ft. Surface area: 79.15 acres.

Loading map…

Dragon Lake is a 79-acre mesotrophic lake in Lake County, Minnesota with a maximum depth of 15 feet. Overall water quality is improving over recent sampling years. The lake supports 10 documented fish species including black crappie, bluegill, and brook trout. Public access is available. Compared to the 34 other monitored lakes in Lake County, Dragon Lake ranks #24 for water quality.

Source: EPA Water Quality Portal sampling records, Minnesota DNR LakeFinder, last sampled 2025-09-12. Methodology: how these readings are compared.

What Dragon Lake is good for

From access and monitoring records, not editorial picks.

  • Fishing10 species recorded

Swimming conditions

Readings only

Limited 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. Check local advisories before you swim.

Whether Dragon 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 Dragon Lake →

Water quality measurements for Dragon Lake

These are the measurements Minnesota PCA publishes for Dragon Lake, shown as reported. The condition class beside each reading is the EPA National Lakes Assessment class for this lake’s ecoregion.

Moderate clarity, visible to about 7.5 ft. Phosphorus 17.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a 7.3 µg/L. TSI 48.

Water quality readings
MeasureReadingWhere it sits
Water clarity (Secchi depth)7.5ftMeasured, not scored

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

Total phosphorus17.5µg/LGood
GoodFairPoor
Chlorophyll-a (algae)7.3µg/LGood
GoodFairPoor
Trophic state (TSI)Carlson's 0–100 index of how much algae a lake can support, from clarity, phosphorus and chlorophyll-a.48Mesotrophic
OligotrophicMesotrophicEutrophicHypereutrophic

Moderate nutrients, good water quality

Ask about Dragon Lake

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

Water Temperature

Dragon Lake typically sits around 59°F at the surface in September. Summer average is about 67°F. Usually warmest in Aug (about 71°F) and coldest in Sep (about 59°F). These are typical values by month — not a live reading.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
62°
Jun
69°
Jul
71°
Aug
59°
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec

Column height runs from this lake’s coldest month (59°F) to its warmest (71°F).

Typical surface water temperature by month, from 17 field readings (2025–2025) via the EPA Water Quality Portal. See the full Dragon Lake water temperature breakdown →

Lake Details

Max depth

15 ft

Surface area

79 acres

Shoreline

2.1 mi

Littoral zone

99%

Share shallower than 15 ft

Public access

Yes

Listed by Minnesota PCA

Lake Size & Watershed

Watershed (drainage) area

30 sq mi

HydroLAKES / HydroSHEDS

Elevation

1,680 ft

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

Stays via Stay22

Stays near Dragon Lake

Compare lakeside cabins, hotels, and vacation rentals near Dragon 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 Dragon 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 Dragon Lake’s readings

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


Or email

Fish Species

Click a species to see every lake where it is documented.

Fishing Dragon Lake

2 seasons of samples on record (2020–2025). Calling a direction takes at least 4 years of the same measurement.

  • Water clarity

    Improving

    2 years

Nearby Lakes in Lake County

Frequently asked questions about Dragon Lake

Where is Dragon Lake?

Dragon 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 Dragon Lake?

Dragon Lake in Lake County, Minnesota has water-quality measurements published by Minnesota PCA, shown here as reported. Water clarity: 7.5 ft visibility. Phosphorus: 17.5 µg/L. Chlorophyll-a (algae): 7.3 µg/L. Maximum depth: 15 ft. Surface area: 79.15 acres.

Measurements on this page ↑

Is Dragon Lake safe to swim in?

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

Swimming on this page ↑

What is the water temperature of Dragon Lake?

Dragon Lake typically sits around 59°F at the surface in September, from 17 EPA Water Quality Portal field readings (2025–2025). That is a typical value for the month, not a live reading.

Temp on this page ↑

How deep is Dragon Lake?

Dragon Lake has a maximum depth of 15 feet. The lake covers 79.15 acres.

What fish are in Dragon Lake?

Fish species found in Dragon Lake include black crappie, bluegill, brook trout, largemouth bass, northern pike, pumpkinseed, rock bass, walleye, white sucker, yellow perch. Dragon Lake is located in Lake County, Minnesota.

Fish on this page ↑

Can I fish at Dragon Lake?

Public access to Dragon Lake is listed as yes on the lake record. 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.

Mesotrophic Lakes in Minnesota

Where this data comes from

18 measurements from 1 monitoring station, 2025. Retrieved from the EPA Water Quality Portal on 2026-08-02.

Collected and reported by

  • Minnesota Pollution Control Agency - Ambient Surface WaterMNPCA18 samples · 2025

Analytical methods

  • Field measurement/observation, generic method
  • Phosphorus by Two Reagent Colorimetry
  • 10200 H ~ Chlorophyll a-b-c Determination
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

Lake size & watershed from HydroLAKES (HydroSHEDS)

Lake details from Minnesota DNR LakeFinder